


The Letter

by ourworlddisappeared



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Out of Character, Romance, Suspense, US Women's Soccer National Team, talex - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-19 19:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 42,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9457604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourworlddisappeared/pseuds/ourworlddisappeared
Summary: Alex Morgan thought she was finally going forward in life. She thought she was finally living again. But, life had other plans. Who knew a simple letter would crash her world and unite her with another woman to find the answers to their pasts.





	1. The Meeting

_It has been one year and nine months since my first love left me. It seems like yesterday when I received that life changing phone call. There was a bombing at his station. No one made it out alive. Servando was gone. Life came to a halt for me. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. We were supposed to get married in 6 months, we had it all planned out, but life had its own plan. The first few months were hard, I cried all day and night. With the support from our families, I decided to pull myself together. I think of Serv’s words before he left for battle, “Alex, if something ever happens to me, remember that I will always love you and that I want you to continue living. I want you to be happy and I want you to find love again. Promise me that you will continue to live for me.”_

 

_With his word in the back of my mind, I knew the only way I could continue living was to move away from everything we shared. I moved back to California, to be closer with my family. I bought an apartment which overlooks the ocean. Things were getting better. I felt myself smiling, genuinely being happy, and just living again. Life was getting back to normal._

 

____

 

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

 

“Ugh…Already?!” Alex shouted, reaching out to her nightstand, trying to locate her alarm to turn it off. She gets up and stretches out her arms and eventually, slips out of the bed and walks towards the bathroom. As soon as she finishes, she hears her phone ringing. 

 

“Alex!” the woman shouted over the phone, startling Alex. 

 

“Syd, I know. I’m up and just about ready. I’ll meet you in 20 minutes, I promise.”

 

“You better, otherwise, I will show up at your place and you and I both know, you wouldn't want that…do you?” the woman questioned. 

 

“No, Syd. I don’t. I promise, I will see you in 20. Now, let me go, so I finish getting ready,” Alex said, reassuring her.

 

“Okay, fine. I will see you in 20 minutes.”

 

Alex couldn't help but smile when the line was disconnected. Sydney was an old friend of hers, who recently moved back to California. Her upbeat personality always made Alex smile, especially during her dark times. Alex had offered to help with furniture shopping because Dom, Syd’s husband, did not want to. After quickly changing into jeans and a simple white v-neck and a light jacket, she quickly made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a banana and some water.

 

___

 

“So how are things going?” Syd questioned, as they walked into a coffee shop.

 

“Everything seems to finally fall back in place. I feel like I’m finally myself again,” Alex said, walking towards the counter and ordering herself and Syd some coffee.

 

“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy, Alex,” Syd said, lightly shoving her shoulder against Alex’s before she continued, “so, you never told me how your date went last night with Ryan.”

 

“I was waiting for you to ask me,” Alex says with a smile, “but, to answer you, I had a good time,” she said, grabbing their coffee and heading out onto the streets. 

 

“Really?! I knew you guys would hit it off! I was doubting Dom at first, but when I met Ryan, there was just something about him that made me rethink. Plus, he’s a cutie,” she said, winking at Alex, who lets out a small chuckle.

 

“I noticed, Syd. He was sweet and very kind. But, he was constantly checking his phone. Something was distracting him,” she says, running her hand through her hair, “but, other than that I had a great time and I will be seeing him again this Saturday.”

 

“I’m so happy for you, Al! Now, lets go get some furniture. I can’t handle the shit we have in our apartment,” she said, pulling Alex by the arm into one of the stores.

 

__

 

Alex was up early the next day to head out for her morning run. She had picked up running again a few weeks after moving back to California. Running allowed her to clear her mind, it let her focus on the present. But, running also reminded her of Servando, as they used to go on runs together. As she was running and thinking about her past, she didn’t notice a car that was turning, going right towards her.

 

Alex was brought back to her present, when she felt her body being yanked back. She felt a firm hand on her bicep, and then another one grabbing her other bicep to help her from falling. 

 

“Whaa..What are you doing?” Alex stutters, trying to understand what was going on. She looks at her surroundings and quickly turns around to the source holding her up. 

 

“Umm…you almost got him by a car,” the tan woman said, letting go of Alex, and moving her hand to rub the back of her neck.

 

“What?” Alex whispers, turning back to see a man form the car that was about to hit her, yelling at her to watch where she was going. Alex turns around and notices the other woman walking away, “Wait!” Alex shouts at the woman. 

 

The woman turns around and gives a small smile.

 

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention…thank you for saving me,” Alex says, walking towards the woman. 

 

“Hey, no worries. I just happened to notice the car coming and realized you didn’t,” the woman said, adjusting her snapback. 

 

“I should have watched where I was going…thank you, again.”

 

“Like I said, don’t mention it,” she smiles, noticing the piercing blue eyes, “I’m Tobin,” she says, sticking out her hand.

 

“Alex,” she said, grabbing the hand and shaking it.

 

“Well Alex, it was nice to meet you, but I’m getting late for work. Need to get the shop open in a couple minutes,” Tobin says, pulling her hand back, noticing the sparks that left her body when she touched the other woman.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“Stop saying that,” Tobin says, smiling at the woman, “but, seriously I need to go.”

 

“Of course.” 

 

Tobin turns around making her way down to the shop, when she hears Alex again.

 

“Tobin!” she shouts. 

 

“Yeah?” Tobin says, turning around.

 

“I owe you for saving me..,” before she could continue, she was cut off by Tobin. 

 

“Since you did get me late, grab me a coffee,” Tobin says, with a smile, “I work just down there,” she said, pointing towards a surf shop. 

 

“Sounds good! See you in a few,” Alex shouts out, watching Tobin give her a thumbs up before quickly turning around.

 

Alex turns around and continues running towards her apartment with a giant smile spread across her face. 

 

—


	2. Teach Me?

Alex quickly showered and changed before heading out to grab two coffees for herself and Tobin. She made her way down to the surf shop, making sure to check all four ways before crossing. She didn’t know what it was that drew her to the tan woman, but she felt something connect. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Alex entered the surf shop and noticed the many boards that were around the walls along with all sorts of other water gear. The bright colours of the walls made the entire store pop out. She looked around the shop trying to find Tobin. She made her way towards the cash register and noticed someone hunched over just behind it.

“Umm..Hey,” Alex said, watching the body behind the counter rise up, but in doing so, also hitting their head against the countertop.

“Ow!”

Alex watched as the person brought their head up, noticing the grimace look on their face. “Hey, Alex…you actually came,” Tobin said, rubbing the backside of her head to ease the pain.

“Hey, sorry to startle you,” Alex said, giving the tan woman a smile, “I owed you and you said to bring coffee, so here it is,” she said, sticking out her hand. Tobin happily accepted the coffee and took a sip, “thanks for bringing it, I really needed it.”

“Don’t thank me, it was the least I could do. I mean I could be at the hospital right now if you didn't grab me on time,” Alex said, taking a sip from her coffee as well.  
“Well, I’m glad I was there to save you,” she said, smiling.

“I better get going. Sorry for distributing your day…”

“Well, I’m glad that you did cause I got to meet you..” Tobin said, smiling at the beautiful woman standing in front of her — _‘Did I just say that? That was smooth Tobs’_

Alex stood there trying not to blush and tried her best to avoid eye contact. Tobin noticed this and decided to change the topic.

“So, you ever gone surfing?” she said, pointing towards one of the surfboards beside them.

“Well, I did when I was younger. My parents used to bring us out here, but I haven’t gone since. Don’t know how to surf, so I rather not embarrass myself in front of everyone.”

“Trust me, the only way you learn is when you let yourself go free. Don’t think about the others around you…It took me a few tries and a few bruises before I learned,” she said, running her hand over the board.

“Well, maybe in the future I can take some lessons from you,” Alex said, also running her hand over the board — ‘ _What am I doing?Am I flirting?'_ Alex thought.

“Definitely. You know where to find me…”

Before Alex could answer, the front door opened and a few people walked in. “I should let you go,” Alex said, not wanting the conversation to end. “Thanks for the coffee,” Tobin said, with a smile.

Alex turned around and made her way to the front, but stopped in her tracks and called out to Tobin, “How about Sunday?” she said, looking towards the woman that was helping one of the customers.

“Sorry, what?” Tobin said, moving away from the customer and making her way towards Alex.

“How about this Sunday? Can you teach me how to surf?” Alex said, hesitantly.

“Of course. Be here at 6? It’s a good time to catch some waves and there’s less people.”

“Sounds good. See you on Sunday,” Alex says with a smile, before turning around and making her way out of the shop. She didn’t know what it was, but when the woman smiled, her heart skipped a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have an idea of where I want this story to go. There’s a lot to it and it is going to take some time for the plot to build up. Hopefully, you guys won’t get too bored. But, I will try my best to write frequently. Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you like it!


	3. The Date

It was Friday night and Alex was exhausted. She had a busy week, starting with the encounter with Tobin, then meetings throughout the week. She was working with her father at his law firm as a receptionist and other various positions. When she moved back to California, her goal was to open up a salon. However, she needed the money first. Her parents offered, but she didn’t want that. She wanted to do it on her own. So, her father offered a job instead. All the long hours she had worked was paying off. It was possible to have her shop open in a just a few months.

Alex made her way to her bedroom, deciding it was best to get some rest. While sitting in bed, she looked through her phone and noticed a text message.

 

**Ryan: Hey! Just checking if you were still interested in going out to dinner tomorrow night?**

**Alex: Hi Ryan. Yes, I’m still interested.**

Alex was about to put her phone away, when she saw that Ryan had already texted her back.

 

**Ryan: Great! I’ll see you tomorrow!**

**Alex: Can’t wait!**

She put her phone on charge and turned off her lamp before trying to fall asleep. Sydney had introduced her to Ryan a couple of weeks ago. He had recently become friends with Dom when they were hunting for apartments. Ryan worked as a realtor and did some other business stuff. Alex wasn’t sure what that was. But, Syd thought it would be a great idea for them to go out on a date. Alex reluctantly agreed to go out on a date with Ryan. She didn’t think she would enjoy the date, but when the night came to an end, she realized she was wrong.

 

Alex was up early again and went out for a run. She went down the same path as last time, hoping to bump into Tobin. But, since their first encounter she hadn’t seen her since. She smiled thinking about the surfing lesson she had planned for tomorrow. Alex ran back to her apartment and took a quick shower. She was meeting Ryan at 7pm, so she had the rest of the day to herself. She decided that she deserved some free time and decided to watch some episodes of her favourite tv shows.

 

The day went along and Alex was enjoying the much needed rest. She glanced at her phone and realized she had to get ready. She decided to wear a simple black dress for the night. Once touching up her makeup one last time, she made her way to the restaurant.

__

 

“Hi,” Ryan said, opening up the door for Alex as they entered the restaurant, “You look amazing.”

 

“Thank you,” Alex said, slightly blushing. They were escorted to their table and were given their menus.

 

“So, how was your week?” he said, while glancing down at the menu.

 

“Well, it was busy, like always. But, this week was a bit different.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Well, the week started with me almost getting hit by a car and then continued with lots of meetings,” she said, looking up at Ryan.

 

“Are you alright? What happened?” before he could continue, Alex interrupted, “I said almost and yes, I am fine. Thankfully, Tobin was there to pull me out of danger.”

 

“Tobin?”

 

“Yeah. She was the one that helped me and I guess we are friends now…or I hope we are. I mean we only met once and talked for a bit, but she seems really nice.”

 

Ryan noticed the way Alex beamed when talking about Tobin, “Well, I should thank her, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this date,” he said, noticing the waiter coming towards them.

 

As they ate their dinner, they continued to chat about work and Alex’s shop. Ryan offered to take her out to some locations. Alex happily agreed. They made their way out of the restaurant and towards a cab. Both of them got in and headed towards Alex’s apartment. Ryan wanted to make sure she made it home safe. He walked her to her door and waited for Alex to open the door.

 

“Hey, I had a great time tonight,” Ryan said, as Alex opened the door and turned around.

 

“Would you like to come in? We can have some wine if you’d like?” Alex offered.

 

“Are you sure it isn’t too late?”

 

“No, it’s fine. Come on in,” Alex said, entering into the apartment. She put her things down and made her way to the kitchen area. Ryan looked around the apartment, noticing how neat it was. Alex made he way towards him and lead him towards the couch, while holding two glasses and a bottle of wine. They sat down and talked, while sipping on their wine. Ryan realized it was getting late when he noticed Alex yawning.

 

“I should get going. I have some work tomorrow,” he said, getting up from the couch and grabbing his coat. Alex walked him towards the door and waited for him to put on the coat.

 

“Thanks for tonight. I had a great time,” Alex said, moving a little closer to Ryan.

 

“I did too,” he said, glancing at Alex’s lips.

 

“So, I will see you on Tuesday, right?”

 

“I’ll come by here and pick you up and then make our way to some of the shops.”

 

“That works. Just give me a call or message.”

 

“Goodnight, Alex,” he said, leaning towards her and giving her kiss on the cheek. He turns to leave, but Alex stops him.

 

“Wait,” he turns around and Alex leans over and gives him a quick peck on the lips, “Goodnight,” she said. Ryan smiled and made his way out.

 

—

 

Alex bolted up in her bed, sweating profusely. She looks around her room and whispers, “it was just a nightmare…there’s nothing wrong.” She gets up and heads to get some water and a pain killer to subside her headache. She constantly had nightmares when Serv passed away. When she moved back to California, the nightmares seemed to have stopped. But, tonight the nightmares returned. She goes back to bed, praying her nightmare won’t continue.

 

—

 

Light was shining through the curtains towards a sleeping Alex. She lifted her hand to block the sunlight that was coming in. She was about to fall back to sleep, but bolted up like she did before, this time quickly checking the clock on the nightstand.

 

**7:24 A.M.**

 

‘ _It’s 7:24…oh shit! Fuck! I was supposed to meet Tobin at 6!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are liking the story!


	4. Tobin Heath

Tobin was up early on Sunday morning, like usual. She wasn’t much of a sleeper. She had been having some problems falling asleep in the past year, so it became a habit to wake up earlier than most people. She didn’t mind it. On some days she would go for a run or she would go surfing. She was always up for any physical activity, anything that would keep her fit. 

 

She used to be an athlete. Tobin thought back to the day when the doctor told her that her playing days were over. She was devastated. She was playing with the U.S national soccer team, but suffered a serious ankle injury that also led to an illness that doctors still don’t know what it was exactly. Still, she kept fighting and made it back to the team. But, a few months later, she suffered another injury. This was when the doctors told her that she had to stop. But, since she couldn’t compete in competitive sports anymore, didn’t mean she couldn’t stay fit. So, everyday she made sure to workout. 

 

Tobin made her way to the shop. She was smiling from ear to ear, thinking about the girl that she was going to teach. Tobin didn’t work on Sunday’s, but she couldn’t say no to Alex. There was something about her that made Tobin want to get to know her. She was definitely attracted to Alex. After her divorce was finalized, she hadn’t met anyone that caught her eye, but that all changed when Alex entered into her life. Tobin smiled, remembering their first encounter. How oblivious the woman was of her surroundings, her mind clearly millions of miles away, happy that she was there to save her. 

 

Tobin went inside the shop and brought out her surf board and went to put on a wetsuit. She looked at her phone and noticed it was 6 A.M. Tobin made her way out the shop, locking it up. She stood outside for a couple of minutes, but didn’t see Alex. So, she decided to make her way to the beach, which was right in front of the shop. She made her way down by the water and looked back to see if Alex had come. Twenty minutes passed, and Tobin decided to go surf. _‘Maybe she forgot or maybe she’s running late. I guess I will just surf until she shows up…or if she shows up,’_ she thought. 

 

Alex was a no show. Tobin made her way back to the shop, putting away her surf board and changing out of the wetsuit. She was disappointed that Alex didn’t show up. She closed up the shop again and made her way home. 

—

Alex checked the store hours for Sunday, since no one was picking up her phone when she called the shop. She didn’t have Tobin’s number, so she couldn’t call her and apologize for not showing up. The shop was to open at 10 A.M, so Alex decided to go down there and apologize to Tobin for missing the surfing lesson.

__

Alex entered the surf shop, looking around, trying to find Tobin. She made her way to the cash registered and noticed another woman standing there. She was tall and had short hair with tattoos on her arms. 

 

“Hi, how can I help you?” the woman asked, smiling at her.

 

“Um… Is Tobin here?”

 

“No, she doesn’t work on Sunday’s”

 

“Really?…Oh, do you know if she will be back tomorrow?”

 

“She won’t be back until Tuesday…she’s going out of town this afternoon and Monday.”

 

“Oh…okay,” Alex said, looking down at her shoes, “Can you let her know that Alex came by to see her.”

 

“Sure, I’ll let her know.”

 

“Thanks…”

 

“Ashlyn, my name’s Ashlyn,” she said, sticking out her hand.

 

“Thanks, Ashlyn,” she said, shaking the girls hand, “could you let her know that I will be coming in on Tuesday?”

 

“Sure, no problem. I will make sure she is here,” she said, smiling before continuing, “she’s always all over the place, so I will make sure she doesn’t leave the shop.”

 

“Thank you very much,” Alex said, backing up to leave the shop. 

 

“See you around,” Ashlyn said, waving her hand.

 

“Bye,” Alex said, waving back.

—

Alex made her way to her apartment. She was mad at herself. _‘Tobin was probably waiting for so long. I hope she isn’t mad. I really need to make it up to her,’_ she thought. She checked her phone and saw a message from Ryan.

 

**Ryan: Hey! Just wanted to say that I had a great time last night. See you on Tuesday.**

 

Alex frowned. ‘ _I’m meeting Tobin on Tuesday…I need to apologize to her.’_

 

**Alex: Hey Ryan, I can’t meet up on Tuesday. Something came up. Sorry.**

 

**Ryan: No problem. We can reschedule.**

 

Alex went home and decided to take a nap. She lay in bed trying to sleep, but all she kept thinking about was Tobin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...are you guys liking it?


	5. Forgive Me?

Alex was up early on Monday and instead of going for a run, she was meeting up with her other bestie, Allie Long, to do some yoga.

 

“So, how’s it going?” the blonde questioned, as they finished up and made their way down to get some coffee. 

 

“It’s okay. Not much going on…” 

 

“Really? So nothing happening with Ryan?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Ryan is a great guy, but there’s just something off about him…”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know how to explain it…when I kissed him, there wasn’t that spark…” Alex said, sighing.

 

“Aww, Al…don’t worry about it. You will figure it out,” Allie said, trying to comfort her friend. 

 

“I hope so. I don’t want to lead him on…” 

 

Allie decided to drop the subject, “Okay, enough about him. Anything else happen while I was gone?” 

 

“Well, I met this woman, Tobin…Actually, more like she saved me,” Alex said, smiling, thinking about the way Tobin’s firm grip held her from getting hit by the car.

 

Allie looked over at Alex and watched as her friend’s smile went from ear to ear, “So, is she hot?”

 

“What— Allie, that’s not…” Alex’s face flushed red, with her mouth now wide open.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Allie grinned.

 

“It’s not like that…I just…She was so kind and helpful. But, I messed up…”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, I asked her if she could give me some surfing lessons yesterday, but I overslept and didn’t make it on time.”

 

“I’m sure she will understand, just apologize to her.”

 

“I was going too, but she’s out of town right now, and not back until tomorrow. So, I will try to see her tomorrow at her shop and talk to her…” Alex said, looking over at Allie, noticing the little twinkle in her eyes, “And, No. You can’t come.”

 

“Aww..Come on, Al…I want to see the woman that has you smiling like the joker,” Allie said, laughing, but stopped when Alex punched her arm lightly, “Ok, fine… I won’t come,” she said, pouting. 

___

 

After finishing up her early meeting, she made her way down to the shop, hoping to apologize to Tobin. She walked into the store and looked around, trying to spot her. While she made her way down to the cash register, she heard someone call her name.

“Alex, right?” she turned around and was met with a familiar face. “Yeah that’s me. Nice to see you, Ashlyn.”

 

“Tobin is in the back, doing some inventory. Come with me,” she said, leading Alex to the back of the store and entering through a door. Alex looked around, noticing the many boxes of supplies and surf boards lying around.

 

“Hey, Tobs!” Ashlyn shouted, as they rounded a pile of boxes. 

 

“Yeah?” she called out. Alex smiled when she heard the familiar voice. 

 

“Alex is here to see you,” she said, as they made their way to Tobin. Alex noticed Tobin turn around and saw that she was holding boxes that were stacked over her head. 

 

“Sorry, what?”

 

“Alex is here,” Ashlyn said, louder. When Tobin heard, she immediately dropped all the boxes she was holding. “Alex…Hey?” Tobin said, trying to play it cool. She made her way towards the two women. 

 

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Ashlyn said, walking out of the back room.

 

“What are you doing here?” Tobin questioned. 

 

“Umm…Ashlyn said you were out of town and wouldn’t be back until today…So, I came by to see you…to apologize, actually,” Alex said, fidgeting with her hands. 

 

“Apologize?” 

 

“Yeah…I wasn’t able to make it on Sunday for the surfing lessons. I’m really sorry…I feel so bad. I tried to call the shop cause I didn’t have your number and no one picked up. So, I came by and you weren’t here…and Ashlyn said you were out of town…” Alex rambled on, but stopped when she felt a hand being placed on hers. Alex looked down at her hands and looked up at Tobin, who was smiling at her.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. Things happen, no need to feel bad,” she said, softly. 

 

“No, it’t not…You came out here and you don’t even work on Sunday’s,” she said, feeling the warmth of Tobin’s hand. 

 

“No, seriously. It was no problem. I was going to surf anyway,” she said, patting Alex’s hand gently before removing it. 

 

“Still…Can I make it up to you?” 

 

“What do you have in mind?”

 

“Well,” she checked her watch and noticed it was noon, “I haven’t had lunch yet, so do you want to come with me?” she asked, “It’ll be my treat.”

 

“Sure…Let me just put these,” she said, pointing at the boxes around her feet, “on the shelf and we can go.”

 

Tobin began to pick up the boxes and Alex helped her. They placed the boxes on the shelf and Tobin went to grab her stuff, “Thanks,” she said, as she lead Alex out the back room. They made their way over to the cash register. “Ash, can you watch the shop for a bit?” Tobin asked.

 

“Sure, just be back before 2…Ali is coming over for some surfing lessons.”

 

“Thanks, dude…and don’t worry, I won’t let you miss your surfing lessons with Ali,” she said, winking at her, which made Ashlyn punch her, “I’m kidding, jeez…” she said, rubbing her arm. 

___  


 

Both of them were seated at their table and were looking over at their menus.

 

“Anything you recommend?” Tobin asked. Alex glanced up from her menu, “Well, I really like the burgers here, but the salads are really good too.”

 

“Hmm…I might just go for the salad. I had a cheat day yesterday…” Tobin said, putting down her menu. 

 

“I’m thinking about having a salad too,” Alex said, smiling. 

 

As they ordered and waited for their food, they continued to talk. 

 

“So, when did you move here?” Alex questioned.

 

“That obvious?” Tobin said, chuckling a little. 

 

“I mean, you look like a Cali girl, but your accent gives it away,” she said, smiling. 

 

“I’m originally from New Jersey, moved to Paris for two years before finally settling here…”

 

“You lived in Paris?” 

 

“Well, my girlfriend..ex-girlfriend lived in Paris and so she invited me to stay with her, since we played together with PSG.”

 

Alex was a bit surprised when she heard Tobin say girlfriend, but she smiled internally. 

 

“PSG?”

 

“Oh, sorry. PSG is a professional soccer team. I used to play competitive soccer,” she said, while the waiter came with their food. 

 

“That sounds pretty amazing…Being able to play all around the world.”

 

“Trust me, it was fun, but sometimes all the travelling could be overwhelming. But, I still miss it,” she said, taking a bit from her salad. 

 

“Do you mind if I ask why you stopped?”

 

Tobin paused and looked over at Alex, who gave a soft smile at her, “No. It’s fine. I was injured a couple of times and the doctor’s decided it was best for me to stop playing competitively…It sucked, but thats what life is…Can’t do anything about it…”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, moving her hand across the table and placing it on top of Tobin’s, giving her hand a light squeeze. 

 

“Enough about me…What do you do?” Tobin said, trying to change the subject. Alex removed her hand and ate some of her salad before answering. 

 

“Well, I’m working at my father’s law firm and planning on opening a salon soon.”

 

“That’s interesting. Have you found a location yet?” 

 

“No, I have seen some places, but haven’t really decided on any.”

 

“You’ll find one. It took me some time too…for the surf shop. It’s a long process, but its worth it in the end. Maybe I can help you? I know a couple of really great spots, which I found when I was looking,” Tobin offered, hoping that she would say yes. 

 

“No, I don’t want to bother you with all this. I’ve already caused so much trouble.”

 

“It’s no trouble…what are friends for?” Tobin asked, smiling at Alex. 

 

“Ok, fine. If you don’t mind.”

 

“Of course not…Are you free this Friday? We can go out to some places and if you don’t mind, you can join me and a couple of my friends at the beach. We are having a little get together… you can invite your friends too…What do you say?”

 

“Sure, that sounds like fun,” Alex said, excitedly. 

 

“Awesome,” Tobin said, as they finished up their meals. The waitress brought their bill over and Tobin pulled out her card to pay, but was stopped by Alex, “This was my treat, remember?” as she handed her card to the waitress.

___

 

“Thanks,” Tobin said, as they stood near the front of the shop.

 

“No, thank you. You were so kind and you didn’t get mad at me for missing the lesson.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Tobin said, rubbing the back of her neck, “So, I’ll see you on Friday?”

 

“Definitely,” Alex said, not wanting to leave. They looked at each other, smiling, not knowing what to say next. Their gaze was interrupted, when Alex’s phone began to ring, “One sec,” she said, looking down at her phone, noticing it was an unknown caller. 

 

“Hello?”

 

“…” 

 

“Hello? Who’s this?” Alex asked, but she was met with silence, “Hello?” she tried one more time, “Maybe it’s a prank call,” Tobin said.

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Alex said, before disconnecting the line. ‘ _That was weird,’_ Alex thought, before turning her attention to the tan woman in front of her, “So, can I get your number…You know, just in case anything comes up,” Alex asked, hesitantly. 

 

“Yeah.. Of course,” Tobin said, giving her number to Alex, who added it into her phone. 

 

“See you on Friday,” Alex said, as she quickly leaned in and gave Tobin a hug. Before Tobin could react, the taller woman let go and walked away. Tobin stood there watching her go and waved back when she saw Alex turn and wave her goodbye. Tobin smiled and made her way into the shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than the others... I will try my best to write longer chapters, but I don't get a lot of time cause I'm busy with studying for exams and doing assignments. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! :)


	6. Locations, locations, and more locations

Wednesday and Thursday didn’t go by fast enough for Alex and Tobin. Both of them kept thinking about Friday and the time they would get to spend with each other. Alex texted Tobin on Wednesday to confirm that she was indeed coming to the get together and that she was bringing two of her friends, Syd and Allie. After that, they kept texting each other. Tobin texting Alex about some of the locations they would be visiting on Friday. Thursday evening, Alex received a call from Ryan.

 

“Hey, Ryan,” Alex said, answering the phone while she made her way to the couch in her apartment.

 

“Hi, Alex. How are you?”

 

“I’m good…just busy with work. What about you?”

 

“I’m good. Just finished my meeting and will be back in L.A tomorrow.”

 

“That’s good. Hopefully, your meetings went well,” Alex said. She hadn’t told Ryan about Tobin’s offer of showing her some locations for the shop. She didn’t want to make things awkward between them, since he had offered first.

 

“They did…So, I’m back around noon tomorrow and I know we were supposed to look at some locations for the store on Tuesday, but you couldn't come…So, I’m wondering if you would want to go out on Friday for a couple hours and maybe we could have some dinner later,” Ryan asked.

 

Alex didn't know what to say. She felt bad for having cancel on Tuesday, but at the same time, she was happy that she got to spend time with Tobin. She couldn’t bail out on Tobin again.

 

“Look, Ryan…I’m sorry, but I already have Friday booked. I have a meeting from the morning through the afternoon and I was invited to a get together for the evening. I’m really sorry,” Alex said, politely declining Ryan’s offer.

 

“Oh…Uh…that’s fine. We could maybe meet up on Saturday and go out for lunch or dinner? We can talk about your store…” Ryan said, trying not to sound disappointed.

 

“Yeah, that could work…I’m really sorry, but Tobin already asked me to come to the get together…Uh, maybe you could join us? I don’t think she’ll mind…” Alex asked, secretly hoping he would say no.

 

“Tobin? The one that saved you, right?”

 

“Yeah, that’s her.”

 

“Uh…I don’t know. I don’t want to intrude. Maybe next time?”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah…so are you still on for Saturday or will you be canceling on me again?” he said, chuckling a little.

 

Alex let out a small laugh, “I think I can make it. We could go to lunch and talk about the store?”

 

“Sure, sounds good…. I better get going, boarding the plane very soon…Bye, Alex. See you on Saturday.”

 

“Bye, Ryan,” she said, disconnecting the phone. Alex knew she had to talk to Ryan about keeping their relationship simply platonic. She knew that she had made a mistake of kissing him that night, but in doing so, she realized that he wasn’t someone she wanted to be with. Of course, he was nice and charming, but she didn’t see a future with him. Hopefully, Ryan would understand this.

—

 

Next morning, Alex showered and made herself some breakfast. Tobin said she would come by and pick her up from the apartment at 10 and they could make their way to the various sites Tobin had come across when she was looking for a property for her shop. Alex went to her room and checked her outfit again. She wore black skinny jeans, a simple white V-neck, and a black long vest. After touching up her makeup, she waited in the living room. Twenty minutes later, she received a text from Tobin, saying she was waiting outside.

 

Alex made her way outside of her apartment building, looking around for Tobin. She turned her head to the right and spotted the tan woman leaning again a black jeep wrangler. Alex smiled, taking in Tobin’s style. She was wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt that said ‘TOMBOY’ in white, while sporting a black snapback. Tobin saw Alex and waved at her. Alex made her way to Tobin and smiled when she approached her.

 

“Hey…Nice ride,” Alex said, checking out the jeep.

 

“Thanks. This one here is my baby,” Tobin said, running her hand on the side of the passenger door, “Now, come on. We have a lot of places to go to,” she said, opening the passenger door for Alex. When she sat in the jeep, Tobin closed the door and made her way to the driver side and started the jeep. She slipped on a pair of ray bans. “You ready to go?” she said, looking over at Alex, who nodded her head.

—

 

As they drove, they talked about the pros and cons of some of the locations Tobin had texted Alex earlier in the week. They drove for about fifteen minutes before they reached their first destination. Tobin parked on the side of the road and got out of the car, waiting for Alex to join her.

 

“Okay, so this one is first on the list,” Tobin said, pointing at an empty shop in front of them, “It is about 15 minutes away from your place. So, distance wise it’s great. However, as you can see the shop is not that big,” she said, leading Alex towards the store and taking a peek inside.

 

“Hmm…you’re right. It is a bit small,” Alex said, covering the sides of her face as she leaned against the store windows to see the inside more clearly. “I wouldn’t have a lot of room for my clients. Not enough space to walk around either…”

 

“That is true…So, pro for this location is the distance from home and con would be the lack of space,” Tobin said, as they made their way back to the jeep, “There’s another shop just 10 minutes from here, that has much more space. Lets check out that one.”

 

They made their way to the next location. As Tobin drove, Alex glanced over at her and couldn’t help but smile. Alex never dated a woman before. But, she did at one time have a crush on this one girl when she was in high school. She didn’t think much about it, but deep inside she knew she was attracted to both men and women. She looked over at Tobin again, and watched as the woman bit her lower lip. Tobin felt like she was being watched, so she glanced over and was met with Alex’s bright blue eyes. Alex smiled, and turned her head to the other side, blushing. Alex Morgan was definitely crushing on Tobin Heath.

—-

 

They ended up checking two more locations before they decided to go have some lunch. Tobin drove them to a retro looking restaurant, one that Alex had never been too.

 

“Trust me, they have great stuff,” Tobin said, as she held the door open for Alex. They made their way to a booth that had a big window. Alex sat on one side and Tobin sat across her.

 

“Do you mind if I order for you?” Tobin asked, hesitantly, as Alex was flipping through the menu. Alex looked up and noticed Tobin doing the lip bite again, which Alex thought was adorable.

“Of course…assuming you aren’t going to choose something that I will end up throwing up,” Alex said, with a sly smile.

 

“No, I wouldn’t do that to you. Trust me, you’ll love it so much that you’ll be thanking me for introducing you to this place,” Tobin said, proudly.

 

“If you say so,” she said, smirking at Tobin. The waitress came up to them and Tobin ordered them the same thing. A special burger, with some fries, and a chocolate milkshake, because according to Tobin, not having a milkshake is against cheat day.

 

“So, like any of the locations yet?” Tobin asked.

 

“Um...not really. There hasn’t been one that really stuck out, you know?”

 

“I know…it took me some time too. I was so close to giving up, but I had made a promise to my brother that I would do this…I had to do this for him, to honor him,” Tobin said with a sad smile. Alex noticed this and waited for her to continue, “He passed away last year…” Tobin said, as she spun a ring on her hand.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Alex said, moving her hand to rest it on top of Tobin’s, “I’m sure, he’s watching over you and smiling because you didn’t give up.”

 

“The surf shop was a dream we talked about doing for so long. But unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to see it come true,” Tobin said, sadly. She looked down their hands, feeling the warmth and comfort from Alex’s.

 

“I’m sure, he’s super proud of you for making his dream come true,” Alex said, rubbing her thumb on Tobin’s hand, trying to comfort her.

 

“Thanks… I’m sorry for bringing this up,” Tobin said, sincerely.

 

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you did,” Alex said, looking into Tobin’s brown eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, but their gaze was broken when the waitress came with their food. Alex removed her hand from Tobin’s and placed them in her lap. Tobin shook out her feelings and smiled, remembering she was here with a woman, who had made a special place in her heart.

 

“So, are you ready to try out the most amazing burger in the world?” Tobin said, picking up a fry and eating it.

 

“I think so…I mean you have been bragging about how good it is,” Alex said, taking the burger in her hands. She took and bite and Tobin watched her intently. As she finished the bite, Tobin stared at her, waiting for her to say something.

 

“Oh my gosh! That was so good!!” Alex said, excitedly. Tobin had a huge smile on her face, “See, I told you!” she said, taking a bit of her own burger. As she put her burger down, she heard Alex laugh.

 

“What?” Tobin said, confused at what Alex was laughing about.

 

“Your face,” Alex said, pointing towards Tobin’s mouth. Tobin reached up to her mouth and felt some sauce on the side of her lips. “Ha Ha...Very funny,” Tobin said, as she took a napkin and cleaned her face.

 

They finished eating their burgers and fries and sat there enjoying the chocolate milkshake. As they talked about where they would be heading next, Alex’s phone rang.

 

“Hello?” she said, noticing it was an unknown caller, just like last time. “Hello? Who is this? If this is a prank call, you need to stop,” she was met with silence. Alex disconnected her phone, annoyed.

 

“Are you alright?” Tobin asked, noticing the slight frown on Alex’s face. Alex looked up and noticed the concern on Tobin’s face. “Yeah, just another prank call, I think.”

 

“If they call again, give me the phone,” Tobin said. Alex nodded as they got up from the booth.

 

“Wait,” Alex said, moving closer to Tobin. She took a napkin and reached up to Tobin’s face, cupping her cheek with one hand while using the other to wipe the side of the Tobin’s mouth. “You missed a spot,” she said, softly. Tobin looked at the woman standing in front of her, who was eyeing her lips. She felt her heart beat faster. “Thanks,” Tobin said, in a whisper. Alex looked into Tobin’s eyes, before taking a step back and throwing the napkin on the plate. “No problem,” Alex said, as she turned around and made her way to the door. Tobin watched the woman walk out and smiled. She was definitely falling for Alex Morgan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...what do you guys think? Also, I promise to write some longer chapters soon!


	7. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So..the chapters are getting longer day by day..I'll try to keep them like that! Enjoy! :)

As they both finished up looking at another property, Alex and Tobin made their way to the jeep again. Alex liked all the properties that Tobin showed, but nothing really popped out for her. She was just happy that she got to spend some time with Tobin.

 

“So, that was the last one for the day…I’m sorry that you didn’t find the one,” Tobin said, as she started the jeep.

 

“Don’t be sorry. I should be thanking you for showing me such great places. I just need to take in all the pros and cons and decide what I really want.”

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll find one soon,” Tobin said, gently rubbing Alex’s arm, “So, do you need to go back home or do you want to head to the beach together?” she asked.

 

“I don’t need to go home. I’ll text Syd and Allie to meet me at the beach…If you don’t mind me coming with you?”

 

“Of course I don’t mind,” Tobin said, smiling, “Okay, lets get going.”

—

 

Alex texted Syd and Allie to meet her at the beach as Tobin and her would be coming together. Tobin drove back to the surf shop to help out Ashlyn with bringing the drinks down to the beach. Alex tagged along to help them.

 

“So, how’d it go?” Ashlyn asked, as she brought out some drinks from the back room.

 

“It went well, just didn’t find what I was looking for,” Alex said, grabbing the drinks from Ashlyn and placing them into the cooler.

 

“That sucks, but you’ll find one soon. It took a long time for Tobin to find this spot, but it all worked out in the end.”

 

“She was telling me that this was her and her brother’s dream…to open up a shop together,” Alex said, as she finished putting the drinks in the cooler.

 

“Yeah…it was a tough time for her. Lots of things happened so quickly. She was ready to give up, but she kept fighting,” Ashlyn said, with a sad smile, “She’s a fighter, Alex.”

 

Alex was about to say something, but they heard Tobin coming out of the back room. She was holding a soccer ball, a football, and a Frisbee. She walked up to them and smiled, “Ready to go?” she asked.

 

“You two head out. I’ll bring the cooler and lock up the shop,” Ashlyn said, closing the lid of the cooler.

 

“Alright, see you in a few,” Tobin said, as Alex and her made their way out the door. Ashlyn watched them leave and smiled. She hadn’t seen Tobin this happy in a long time. Alex made that girl smile from ear to ear. But, at the same time she was scared that Alex would break her heart. She knew Tobin was at a breaking point and another heartbreak would crush her. 

—

 

Alex and Tobin made their way down to the beach and Alex noticed there were quite a few other women there already. Music was playing and some of the girls were kicking around a soccer ball, while others lay on the towels. Alex was getting a bit nervous to meet the girls. Tobin looked over at Alex and noticed this, “Don’t worry,” she said.

 

“Huh,” Alex said, turning her head towards her, as she felt their arms brushing against each other while they walked.

 

“They won’t bite…well I can’t speak for Kelly, but the others won’t,” Tobin said, laughing a little, “They are really chill and you’ll get along great.” Alex nodded her head and gave Tobin a smile.

 

“Yo! Toby!! Pass the ball!” said a woman, who was shorter than them and Alex noticed the freckles on her face. Tobin smiled and kicked the ball towards her. As the ball reached her, she began to juggle the ball. Tobin leaned over to whisper in Alex’s ear, “That’s Kelly…just be extra cautious when you are near her,” she said, laughing.

 

“Hey, Tobin!” said a woman with curly hair as she went up to Tobin and gave her a big hug, “How are you doing?”

 

“I’m good, Lauren,” Tobin said, as the woman released her, “Lauren, this is Alex,” Tobin said, motioning her hand towards her.

 

“Hi, Alex. I’m Lauren, Tobin’s best friend,” she said, smiling, sticking her hand out for Alex to shake.

 

“Hi Lauren, nice to meet you,” she said, shaking Lauren’s hand.

 

“Actually Lauren, I think Kelly would disagree with you. She claims to be my best friend,” Tobin said, as they both turned to look at Kelly, who was chasing a dog.

 

“Yeah, but we both know I’ll always be your best, best friend,” Lauren said, as she squeezed both of Tobin’s arms, “Now, come on,” Lauren said, grabbing Alex’s hand, “Let me introduce you to the other girls. Tobs, why don’t you go calm Kelly down.”

 

Lauren led Alex to the other girls as Tobin made her way to Kelly. Alex was introduced to Amy aka A-Rod, Ali, Meghan aka Kling, and Lindsey. Alex smiled and shook everyone’s hand and told them about how Tobin and her first met. As she was talking, she noticed she received a text from Allie, saying they were at the beach. She excused herself and told them her friends were here and that she would be right back.

 

“There you are!” Syd said, making her way to Alex before engulfing her in a hug. Allie made her way over and hugged her too.

 

“So, where’s the hottie?” Allie questioned, looking behind Alex trying to locate Tobin. Alex punched Allie lightly and grabbed both of their arms, leading them down to the beach.

 

Alex introduced Allie and Syd to the other girls. They all talked and grabbed some drinks as they sat down in the sand. Alex was still standing with Lauren and looked around the beach, trying to locate Tobin.

 

“She had to take a phone call,” Lauren said, smiling as she noticed Alex’s eye searching for the tan girl.

 

“Oh,” she said, blushing.

 

“So,” Lauren said, nudging Alex, “What do you think about her?”

 

Alex blushed, looking down at her feet, “What do you mean?”

 

“Tobin…Do you like her?”

 

Alex smiled and looked up at Lauren, not being able to say anything. Lauren noticed this and placed a hand on her arm, “You don’t need to say anything, I got,” she said, winking at Alex, “Just don’t go and break her heart…she’s been through a lot recently.”

 

Alex nodded her head before taking a sip from her drink. “Do you mind if I ask what happened? I know her brother passed away…” Alex said, looking at Lauren, hoping she could fill her in.

 

Lauren looked around before she spoke, “Well, her divorce was finalized recently…So, things have been tough, especially since her brother passed away,” she glanced to the side and saw Tobin making her way down the beach, “She’s not the same anymore…but you,” she said, holding Alex’s arm again, “You, are bringing that happy girl out again…So _please_ , don’t lead her on…” Lauren said, pleading with her eyes. Alex nodded her head, “Lauren, you have nothing to worry about. I won’t hurt her,” she said, placing a comforting hand on top of Lauren’s. “Thank you.”

 

Just as they finished, Tobin walked up to them, throwing an arm over Lauren’s shoulder. “I hope you aren’t scaring her.”

 

“Of course not. I really like her,” Lauren said, leaning her head against Tobin’s.

 

“Yeah? So, what were you guys talking about?”

 

“Well, she was introducing me to her friends. You should go meet them too,” Lauren said. Tobin dropped her arm from Lauren’s shoulder and looked over at Alex, who motioned Tobin to follow her. Alex led Tobin towards the other girls before stopping in front of Allie and Syd.

 

“Allie, Syd…this is Tobin,” Alex said, as Tobin smiled and stuck out her hand for them to shake.

 

“Hey, I’m Syd,” she said, shaking Tobin’s hand, “And, I’m Allie,” she said, also shaking Tobin’s hand.

 

“Nice to meet you guys. Thanks for coming…I hope you ladies have a good time,” Tobin said, smiling at them both.

 

“Thanks for inviting us. All the girls are so nice,” Allie said, who was looking Tobin up and down. _‘She is a hottie!’_ Allie thought.

 

“No worries. Now, excuse me…I’m just going to grab a drink,” Tobin said, making her way to the cooler. Alex watched her leave and looked back at Allie and noticed the smirk on her face before flashing her a quick thumbs up. Alex rolled her eyes and laughed. Sometimes Allie could be a bit too much.

 

As the sun began to set, some of the girls were sitting and talking. While Tobin, Kelly, and Alex kicked around the soccer ball. Ashlyn and Ali were throwing the football, but it fumbled and landed near Tobin. She picked it up and threw at back and began talking with Ash.

 

“So, Alex…Did Tobin mention anything about me?” Kelly asked, as she kicked the ball to her.

 

“Umm…she just told me to be cautious,” Alex said, smiling, kicking the ball back at her.

 

“Oh really?” Kelly said, noticing Tobin’s back was turned, she quickly kicked the ball at Tobin.

 

“Ow!” Tobin yelled, rubbing her back, “What was that for?” she asked, turning around.

 

“You told Alex to be cautious around me?”

 

“Well…” Tobin said, looking between the two girls, noticing the slight smile Alex had on her face.

 

“I thought I was your best friend…. How could you?” Kelly said, dramatically, slightly moving towards Tobin.

 

“You are, but… You can be a bit much, sometimes,” Tobin said, noticing the girl inching forward.

 

“Yeah?” Kelly said, and before Tobin knows what’s happening, Kelly runs towards her. Kelly chases Tobin before tackling her near the water.

 

“Ok, fine. You’re my best friend. I’m sorry,” Tobin said, trying to push Kelly off of her.

 

“And you mean it?”

 

“Yes. Kelly, you are my best friend.”

 

“Fine,” she said, getting off of Tobin and making her way to Ashlyn and Ali. Tobin sat up and noticed Alex laughing. She got up and walked towards her, “I’m glad you found that funny,” she said, sitting down next to where Alex was standing. Alex sat down next to her and watched Tobin clean off the sand from her hat that had fallen when she was tackled. Tobin ran a hand through her hair before placing the hat back on her head.

 

“Do you mind?” Alex said, pointing towards the hat. Tobin looked at her, not sure what she meant. Alex reached up and adjusted Tobin’s hat, “There, much better,” she said.

 

“Thanks,” Tobin said, getting distracted by the blue eyes, “So you having a good time?” she asked. Alex looked around their surroundings and noticed Syd and Allie laughing with the other girls, she turned back to Tobin and nodded, “I’m having a great time and I can tell Syd and Al are too…So thank you for inviting us,” she said, moving her arms back, like Tobin, so she could lean on them. As she did, she ended up putting a couple of fingers on top of Tobin’s hand.

“I’m glad you came,” Tobin said, smiling, realizing how much a simple touch from Alex made her heart beat faster. They both sat in silence, looking out at the water, waiting for the sun to fully disappear. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Tobin spoke, “So, Alex…would you maybe want to go out this weekend?”

 

Alex turned her head so she could look at Tobin. She noticed the lip bite again and smiled, “Sure, I would love too,” she said.

 

“Great…When are you free?”

 

Alex remembered she had plans for Saturday with Ryan, “I’m a bit busy on Saturday, but I’m free all Sunday. Does that work?”

 

“Yeah that works,” Tobin said, smiling at Alex, “If you’re up for it, we can go surfing in the morning and then go out for some lunch?”

 

“That sounds perfect.”

 

“Great! I’ll text you on Saturday to confirm…don’t want to get stood up again,” Tobin said with a chuckle, bumping her shoulder against Alex’s.

 

“I said, I was sorry,” Alex pouted.

 

“I know, I’m kidding,” she said, before getting up, “Come on, we should get going,” she said, lending a hand out for Alex. She grabbed her hand and stood up and they both made their way towards the other girls.

—-

 

“Thanks again for the invite, we had a lot of fun,” Syd said, giving Tobin a quick hug.

 

“Yeah, we had a great time,” Allie said, who also leaned in and gave Tobin a hug.

 

“Thank you for coming. The girls loved you guys,” Tobin said, as the two girls sat in the car. She turned towards Alex.

 

“Thanks again for today. I had a great time,” Alex said, leaning in and giving Tobin a hug, “I’ll see you on Sunday,” she whispered in her ear. Alex let go and sat in the car, “See you,” Tobin said, smiling, as she watched the three girls drive off. She stood there for a couple of minutes before she heard Ashlyn, “You got it good!” Tobin turned around and pushed Ashlyn and laughed.

 

“She’s really nice and very beautiful,” Ashlyn said, winking at her friend. Tobin pushed her again.

 

“See you tomorrow, Tobs,” Ashlyn said, as she made her way towards her car. Tobin waved at her friend before getting into her own jeep. As she drove home, she kept thinking about her day with Alex. Today was definitely a great day.


	8. I'm Sorry

As the three girls drove back home from the beach, Syd and Allie decided it was time to have some fun with Alex.

 

“Alex, that girl is a hottie!!” Allie said, excitedly, as she turned around from the passenger seat to face Alex, who was sitting in the back.

 

“You definitely thought so,” Alex remarked, before continuing, “I saw you checking her out. I mean, if you weren’t married to Bati, I’m sure you wouldn’t take a second to snatch her,” she said, smirking at her.

 

“Well, I would…but that girl had her eyes on you the whole time.”

 

“She sure did,” Syd added in.

 

“Stop it guys. She was just being friendly,” Alex said, trying to hide her smile.

 

“Way too friendly, I must add,” Syd said.

 

“What’s the big deal, Al? She finds you attractive and you find her attractive…I mean, why not just ask her out?” Allie questioned.

 

“I can’t,’ Alex said, quietly.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because Lauren told me that she just recently had a divorce. Tobin’s probably not looking for a relationship right now,” Alex said, sadly.

 

“Not the way she was checking you out,” Allie said, “when you were talking with the other girls, I was watching her and she kept looking over at you. She couldn’t keep her eyes off you. That girl is smitten.”

 

“I don’t know. I just don't want to ruin or new friendship,” she said, running a hand through her hair, “besides I haven’t told Ryan that I just want to be friends.”

 

“Screw Ryan!” Syd said.

 

“I’m meeting him tomorrow for lunch and I’m going to tell him that I just want our relationship to be strictly about my salon, nothing more.”

 

“Good for you, Al,” Allie said, “after you dump him, go over to Tobin’s shop and tell her how you feel.”

 

“It’s not that easy. Besides I’m meeting her on Sunday.”

 

“You’re going on a date with Tobin? And you're telling us this now?” Allie exclaimed.

 

“It’s not a date. She just invited me to go surfing and lunch.”

 

“As in a date,” Syd said, chiming in.

 

“Uh- guys, please just let me be. If anything is going to happen with Tobin and I, she needs to initiate it. What if she isn’t over her ex-wife? I mean I don’t know what happened between them. So, I don’t want to throw my heart at her, only to have it broken,” Alex said, trying to justify her feelings.

 

“Fine, we will drop it. But, Al don’t hold back. Just be you and if Tobin doesn't have any feelings for you,” Allie butted in, “which she does!” Syd rolled her eyes and continued, “She’s missing out on someone special.”

 

“Thanks, Syd.”

—-

 

Next morning, Alex went for her usual run. As she retuned to her apartment, she went to the kitchen to have a glass of water. As she was drinking it, she noticed she has a text message on her phone.

 

**Tobin: Jeez… You run fast! And you are still completely oblivious of your surroundings.**

**Alex: What do you mean? Did you see me?**

Alex went down to her room to take a shower. As was getting her things ready, she got a text back.

 

**Tobin: I was running the opposite direction and saw you. I waved, but you kept going :P**

**Alex: I’m so sorry. Its just when I run, I really get in the zone.**

**Tobin: It’s ok. I’m just messing with you…even though I looked like an idiot lol**

**Alex: You do that on your own ;P**

**Tobin: thanks.**

**Alex: Talk to you later. Need to get ready for the day!**

**Tobin: Alright.**

Alex smiled down at her phone and went to take a shower.

—-

 

“You look great,” Ryan said, as he pushed in Alex’s chair. He went around and sat in his chair, opening up the menu.

 

“Thank you,” Alex said. She watched Ryan look down at his menu. She was so nervous. _‘Why am I so nervous. He’s not your boyfriend…and you don’t want that. So, hold your head high and tell him that whatever they had going on has to stop.’_ Alex thought.

 

“Um…everything okay?” Ryan asked, looking up from his menu, realizing Alex was deep in thought.

 

“Uh- yeah, just something I need to talk to you about,” Alex said. ‘ _Should I wait to tell him after lunch? Or should I tell him now? Would that make it too awkward?’_

Sure, what’s up?” he said, crossing his arms and leaning them over the table.

 

“Maybe we can talk about it after lunch.”

 

“That’s fine,” he looked at her and smiled, “You ready to order? I’m starving.”

—-

As they ate their lunch they talked about his trip and how his business was going. They talked about some places they could see for Alex’s salon. Alex didn’t have the heart to say that Tobin had already shown one or two of the locations he was talking about. As they finished up, they made their way outside of the restaurant and decided to walk around the city. Alex knew this was the best time to tell him. As they walked, Ryan brushed his hand over Alex’s before holding her hand. Alex looked down at their hands. She wanted to pull her hand out, but before she could, someone called out for her.

 

“Hey, Alex!”

 

Alex looked up and noticed Ashlyn and Ali walking towards her and Ryan. “Hey Ashlyn, Hi Ali,” Alex said, as they approached them. Alex noticed Ashlyn look down at their joined hand. She quickly removed her hand from Ryan’s and hugged Ashlyn and then Ali. When she let go of them, she noticed how quiet everything seemed. She quickly spoke up, “So, what are you guys doing?”

 

“Oh, we just had some lunch and decided to walk around for a bit,” Ashlyn said, looking at Alex and then over at Ryan.

 

“Sorry, where are my manners. Ashlyn, Ali this is Ryan,” Alex said.

 

“Hello Ryan,” Ashlyn said, sticking out her hand waiting for Ryan to shake it.

 

“Hi. Nice to meet you,” he said, shaking her and then Ali’s.

 

“We should get going,” Ashlyn said, grabbing Ali’s arm, “See you around, Alex. Nice meeting you, Ryan.”

 

“Bye, Ash,” Alex said, as she watched the pair walk away. Alex knew Ashlyn was upset. _‘She probably thinks I’m dating him. What if she tells Tobin? Shit. I seriously need to end this with him.’_

“That was weird,” Ryan said, breaking Alex out of her thoughts. Alex noticed a bench on upfront, so she walked over there and sat down, waiting for Ryan to do the same.

 

Alex let out a sigh, “Ryan, I-,” Ryan cut her off before she could continue, “Wait. I have something for you. I wanted to give it at the restaurant, but didn’t get a chance,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a simple, beautiful gold necklace, “I want you to have this,” he said, placing the necklace into the palm of her hand and closing it with his hand.

 

“Ryan, I can’t accept this,” she said, opening up her palm.

 

“Of course you can,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

 

“Ryan, I need you to listen to me,” she said, looking up at him, “What we have going on, whatever we are… it needs to stop. You’re a great guy, but I just…” Alex sighs, “I’m really sorry.”

 

Alex feels the arm on her shoulder drop. She looks over at Ryan and notices his eyes are fixed on his shoes.

 

“I’m sorry, Alex. Was it something I said or did?” he asked, still not looking up.

 

“No. You didn’t do anything. It’s just that…I don’t feel that connection with you. It’s not your fault,” she said, putting a comforting hand on his arm, “but I don’t see myself being anything more than just friends with you. I’m sorry.”

 

Ryan looked up at Alex, “It’s okay, Alex. I understand,” he said, smiling a little before patting his hand on top of hers. “I wish we could be more than friends, but I’m not going to push you. It’s your life and if you think being friends is all we can be, then that’s how it will be.”

 

Alex smiled, “Thank you for understanding, Ryan.”

 

“You’re still going to do business with me, right? Can’t have you take away my profit,” he said, smiling at her.

 

“If you don’t mind. I would like to keep this relationship strictly about business.”

 

“Of course I don’t mind,” he said, smiling at her.

 

“Thank you,” she said, getting up from the bench, “I should get going.”

 

“Can I drop you off?”

 

“No, I’m just going to walk back. I need some fresh air,” she said. Alex noticed she was still holding the necklace. “Here, I can’t keep this,” she said, holding the necklace out for Ryan to take. He looks at it and back at Alex, before slowly reaching for it. “Sorry again,” she said, as he put the necklace back into his pocket. She then turned around and walked down the street.

—

 

“Hey, Tobs. How’s it going?” Ashlyn called out as she entered the shop.

 

“Good. Just finishing up,” Tobin said from behind the counter.

 

Ashlyn made her way towards Tobin. She had to tell Tobin about Ryan. _‘I totally thought Alex had a thing for Tobs. I mean last night they seemed like a couple. That girl was totally flirting with Tobin during the night. How can she do this to Tobin?’_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Tobin, “You alright, Ash? Did something happen between you and Ali?”

 

“Huh…No. We had a great time. I just dropped her off at her place,” Ashlyn said, sitting up on the counter.

 

“Ok, so what’s the matter?” Tobin said, also sitting on top of the counter next to her.

 

“Tobin, what do you think about Alex?” she said, looking over at Tobin with a straight face.

 

“What do you mean?” Tobin asked, confused.

 

“Do you like her?”

 

“I uh...” Tobin rubbed the back of her neck, “I like her,” she said, softly.

 

“Do you know if she likes you?”

 

“Well, no. I think so…I’m not really sure.”

 

“Did she tell you she was seeing someone?”

 

Tobin looked at her, trying to understand what she was getting at, “Ash, is there something you want to tell me?”

 

Ashlyn sighed, “After lunch, Ali and I bumped into Alex and…”

 

“And?”

 

“Ryan, I believe he was her boyfriend,” she said, “I’m sorry, Tobs,” she said, placing a hand on Tobin’s thigh. Tobin didn’t know how to react. A couple of seconds later she spoke up.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah. They were holding hands,” she said, sadly. Tobin sat there in silence for a few moments before getting off the counter.

 

“Tobs, are you ok?” Ashlyn said, also getting off the counter.

 

“I’m fine. I mean I don’t have the right to be upset. I don’t even know if she likes girls. I just assumed,” Tobin turned around and patted Ashlyn’s shoulder, “thanks for letting me know.”

 

Ashlyn watched her friend grab a few things and head towards the back room. She knew Tobin was heartbroken.

—

 

Tobin went home that night and thought about what Ashlyn had told her. She was devastated of course, but she knew she had no right to be mad or upset at Alex. Tobin still wanted to be friends with Alex. So after a couple of minutes of talking with herself, she pulled up her phone and sent out a text.

 

**Tobin: So, see you tomorrow at 8?**

A few moments later, she received a text back.

 

**Alex: Yes! See you tomorrow! :)**

 

**Tobin: Awesome! I’ll be waiting by the shop.**

**Alex: Sound good! Goodnight, Tobs!**

 

**Tobin: Night, Al!**

Tobin looked down at her phone and smiled. Even if she couldn’t be more than friends with Alex, that girl did make her happy and she needed that right now more than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts?


	9. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is longer than the other ones. I'm trying my best to make them long, but I just don't get enough time..since I want to update this everyday. Anyway, enjoy!

 Alex was up early and was getting ready to head down to Tobin’s surf shop. Alex couldn’t really sleep last night. She was up at 2 a.m. because she had a bad dream. But, she eventually fell back asleep thinking about the time she will get to spend with Tobin. She packed a small backpack with an extra t-shirt and her towel. She wore her blue bikini with jean shorts and a loose white t-shirt on top and a pair of flip-flops. After grabbing her stuff and locking her door, she made her way to the beach.

 

As Alex parked her car, she noticed she had received a text.

 

**Tobin: Morning! I’m in the shop. Just knock at the door.**

**Alex: Just parked. Be there in a minute.**

Alex grabbed her backpack and made her way to the surf shop. She came up to the front and knocked on the glass door. Alex was checking her phone and didn’t notice Tobin open the door.

 

“Hey! Good morning!” Alex looked up from her phone and towards Tobin. Tobin’s hair was in a bun and she had a big smile on her face. Alex glanced down and noticed Tobin wearing a wetsuit, but only halfway. Alex was at awe. She glanced at Tobin’s abdominal muscles. ‘ _Damn this girl is ripped!”_ Alex quickly diverted her eyes from Tobin’s abs and looked up at Tobin.

 

“Good morning. Told you I’ll be here on time,” Alex said, as she made her way inside of the shop.

 

“Well, I’m glad you could come,” Tobin said, smiling at her. “Here, I have a wetsuit for you,” Tobin said, moving towards the side of the shop to a counter. Tobin picked it up and handed it to her. “You can try it on in the fitting room,” she said, pointing towards two rooms on the side, “Let me know if it fits, otherwise we can try another one.”

 

“Thank you,” Alex said, taking the wetsuit and heading towards the fitting rooms.

 

A few minutes later Tobin decided to ask if everything was ok.

 

“Hey. Everything alright in there?” Tobin asked. She didn’t hear a reply. Instead Alex opened the door slightly.

 

“I need some help,” she said, blushing a little.

 

“Sure. What’s wrong?”

 

“I tried to zip up the wetsuit, but it keeps getting caught. Do you mind zipping me up?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Tobin said, as Alex opened the door wider and turned her back towards Tobin.

 

Tobin looked at the taller woman’s exposed skin. Tobin’s face began to heat up as she walked closer behind Alex. She raised her hand towards the zipper and pulled on it. Her hand makes contact with Alex’s back and she felt the muscles in her back contract.

 

Alex felt Tobin’s hand move up her back as she zipped up the wetsuit. She feels Tobin’s hand rest on the top of her shoulder as she finishes. “All done,” Tobin whispers, which sends a chill down Alex’s body. Alex slowly turns around and notices the small distance between them. She looks into Tobin’s eyes and notices the tan woman looking at her lips. Alex’s heart was racing. Tobin clears her throat and steps back out of the fitting room.

 

“We should get going,” she said, as she walked out of the fitting room area. Alex followed behind her, grabbing her t-shirt and placing it in her backpack.

 

“Do you mind if I leave this behind?” Alex asked, lifting her bag.

 

“Sure, just leave it behind the counter and you can grab it later. I’m just going to head to the back and grab our surfboards,” Tobin said, as she walked to the back of the shop.

 

Alex made her way to the cash register and went behind the counter. She placed the bag on the shelf, just under the counter. As she waited for Tobin to return, she turned around to look at the many pictures plastered on the wall behind. There were pictures of the girls she met at the get together posing near the water. There was a picture of Tobin in black board shorts sitting on her surfboard in the sand. There were pictures of surfers, waves, and also pictures of Ashlyn surfing. There was one picture, though, that caught Alex’s eye. Alex leaned closer and saw a woman who she didn’t recognize. She was sitting on the board with Tobin, her arm draped over Tobin’s shoulder. The black wavy haired girl’s head was slightly turned towards Tobin’s face and had a huge smile on her face. Tobin was holding a dog between her legs and was laughing. _‘Could this be her ex-wife?”_ Alex thought, examining the woman in the photo.

 

“Ready to go?” Tobin called out, as she made her way towards Alex.

 

“Yes, I’m ready,” she said, turning around quickly. Alex went up to Tobin and helped her with the surfboards. She grabbed one from her and made her way out of the store. Tobin came out and locked the door.

 

—

 

“So, the best way to learn is to practice in the sand first,” Tobin said, as they put down the boards near the water. “Alright, now follow me,” Tobin said, as Alex nodded. Tobin lay on her board flat on her stomach and explained to Alex how to paddle. She then goes on to show how to stand on the board. After telling her a few more things and making her practice, they head to the water.

 

Alex was a bit nervous because she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Tobin. She watched Tobin get on the board and get up. Alex tried to copy her, but as she stood up, she lost a bit of her footing, causing her to fall back down.

 

“That was a good try,” Tobin said, coming over to Alex and helping her get stable on the board. After a few more tries, Alex was able to get up without having the waves knock her back down. They were out there for a couple hours and Alex was finally getting the hang of it. After a few successful attempts of catching some waves, they decided it was time to head back.

 

“You are a natural,” Tobin said, as they walked side by side towards the shop.

 

“Nah. I just have a great teacher,” Alex said, nudging Tobin’s shoulder with hers.

 

“Really, you did great out there,” Tobin said, smiling at her.

 

“I had a great time.”

 

“So did I…You ready to eat? Cause I’m starving!” Tobin said, chuckling a little.

 

“I sure am!”

 

As Tobin let them into the shop, Alex went towards the counter to grab her backpack.

 

“I’m going to change,” Alex said, as she made her way towards the fitting rooms. Tobin nodded her head and grabbed the surfboards, about to take them to the back. As she made her way towards the back, she heard Alex call her.

 

“Uh- Tobin?”

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Can you help me again?” Alex said, pointing her finger towards the back.

 

“Of course,” Tobin said, as she put down the boards and made her way towards her. Alex turned her back again. Tobin reached up and slowly swept Alex’s wet hair from her back towards her shoulder. She then reached for the zipper, pulling it down slowly. She lets her hand rest on the small of her back. Slowly she moves her hand and backs away. Alex turns around and thanks her, before going into the fitting room.

 

‘ _What am I doing? I’m getting way to close to her. I mean she has a boyfriend. I need to respect her space. But, she would have said something, right?’_ Tobin thought as she took the boards to the back and went to change herself. When the both finished they decided to walk down to a nearby restaurant.

 

—

 

As they waited for their food, they decided to get to know each other more by asking each other some questions.

 

“So, what made you come back to California?” Tobin asked.

 

Alex looked at her surprised, “How did you know I moved back?”

 

“Allie,” Tobin said, smiling.

 

“Of course,” Alex said, shaking her head. “Well, I came back to find myself again.”

 

“How did you lose yourself?”

 

“Nope, that’s not how it works. You asked me a question and now I get to ask you,” she said, smirking up at Tobin.

 

“Fine,” Tobin said, crossing her arms.

 

“Have you ever been in love?” Alex asked, looking into Tobin’s eyes. She wanted to know more about Tobin and her divorce. She wanted to know if Tobin was ready to move on.

 

“I have,” Tobin said, softly before continuing, “Have you?”

 

“I have too,” she said as Tobin nodded her head. “Do you regret anything?”

 

Alex watched as Tobin’s face slightly fell. She looked down at her hands and then back into Alex’s eyes, “Yes, a few things,” she finally said. Alex nodded her head before she spoke, “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Tobin looked at her and back at her hands. She really liked Alex and wanted to know everything about her. She wasn’t sure if she could share everything, but she wanted to let Alex into her life. To do that, she had to tell her about her past.

 

“Well I regret that I wasn’t always there with my family. I was travelling all over the world and never had time to come back and visit, sometimes missing important holidays.”

 

“I understand,” Alex said, reaching out and placing her hand on top of Tobin’s, “My fiancé was in the Air Force and we moved a lot for his trainings. We missed a lot of family events and holidays,” Alex said, looking at Tobin, trying to read her expression before continuing, “When he passed away, I realized how important family was…is,” Alex said, looking down at her lap. She felt Tobin place her other hand on top of Alex’s, giving it a little squeeze. “I’m so sorry,” she said, softly. Alex looked at their joint hands and then up at Tobin, giving her a small smile and nod. The waitress interrupted them as she placed their food on the table. They reluctantly let go of each other’s hand and began to eat.

 

“I was married,” Tobin spoke after a few minutes of silence. “We were married for almost two years, but I messed up,” Tobin said, after finishing her bite. Alex looked over at Tobin, “I’m sorry,” she said.

 

“No, don’t be sorry. I should have been there for her…for our relationship,” Tobin said, taking another bite of her sandwich. “That’s another thing I regret. But, I’m happy for her now. She seems happier.”

 

“What about you?” Alex asked, noticing the expressions of Tobin’s face brighten up.

 

“Well, I’m doing better. Especially, since you came into my life,” Tobin said, truthfully. Alex’s eyes widen a bit and a smile appears on her face. Tobin continues to finish her sandwich as Alex watches her for a little before taking a bite as well.

 

—-

 

After they finished their lunch they decided to go to the Santa Monica Pier. As they walked side by side down the pier they processed the confessions they made at lunch. Alex smiled and glanced over at Tobin. After their lunch, she knew for sure that Tobin had feels for her. Tobin on the other hand was confused. As they walked in silence for a bit, Tobin decided she needs to ask Alex about Ryan.

 

“So, Ashlyn said she saw you yesterday,” Tobin said, hesitantly.

 

“She did. We were coming back from lunch and bumped into Ashlyn and Ali,” Alex said, totally forgetting about that.

 

“We?” Tobin questioned, even though she knew it was Ryan.

 

“Oh. I was out to lunch with Ryan. He’s been helping me with my salon. He works in the real estate business,” she said.

 

Tobin could only smile. ‘ _Ryan is a real estate agent, not her boyfriend.’_

“That’s cool. Didn’t like what I was showing you?” Tobin joked.

 

Alex laughed, “No, he mentioned a couple properties you showed me. I just didn’t have the heart to say that someone already showed me them.”

 

“Well, maybe he can come learn some tips from me,” Tobin said., who was in a better mood now.

 

“I’ll mention it to him,” Alex said, jokingly.

 

As they continued to walk, Alex felt Tobin’s hand brush against her a few times. She looked down and noticed how close their hands were. She looked up at Tobin and noticed how her features had become soft. ‘ _She’s so beautiful.’_ Alex thought. Without thinking it over too much, she turned her hand and slowly reached for Tobin’s hand. Tobin felt Alex’s fingers brush against her own. She looked down and noticed Alex reaching for her hand. Tobin smiled and turned her hand slightly, so Alex could intertwine their hands. As Alex did, she looked at Tobin, who was smiling at her.

 

“Is this okay?” Alex asked, softly.

 

“Better than okay,” Tobin said, giving Alex’s hand a little squeeze.

 

—

 

As they walked around hand in hand they decided to go on the Ferris wheel. As they waited in line, Tobin went to get some water for them. As Alex stood in line waiting for Tobin, she began to have a strange feeling. She looked around her surroundings, trying to figure out what it was. She turned her head to the right and noticed a figure standing in the shadows with their hood up. Whoever it was turned around and was out of sight. For some strange reason, she felt like she was being watched. She was so focused on the hooded figure; she didn’t even realize Tobin come up behind her.

 

“Alex?”

 

Alex jumped a little and turned around to see Tobin.

 

“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to scare you,” Tobin said, putting a comforting hand on Alex’s arm.

 

“No. No…I’m fine, just had this strange feeling,” Alex said, trying to get her heart rate level down.

 

“Want some water?” Tobin asked. Alex nodded her head. Tobin opened the bottle and handed it over to Alex, who quickly downed half the bottle.

 

“Are you sure you are ok?” Tobin asked again, as she watches Alex wipe her mouth after she finished.

 

“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks,” Alex said, giving the bottle back to Tobin.

 

A few moments later they were finally able to ride the Ferris wheel. They sat close to each other, holding each other’s hands, taking in the scenery around them. Tobin turned towards Alex and watched her for a moment before Alex notices her staring.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing. You’re just beautiful.”

 

Alex blushed and bit her lip trying to hide her smile. She looked over at Tobin again and noticed she was still staring.

 

“Stop,” She said, shoving Tobin with her shoulder. But, as she did the entire basket shook, scaring her. Tobin laughed and let go of Alex’s hand and put her arm around Alex’s shoulder, pulling the woman close to her. Alex relaxed and smiled. She can definitely get used to this.

 

—

 

They made their way towards Alex’s car, hand in hand. Since it was getting late, they decided to have dinner together before parting ways. Alex drove them to a restaurant that she claims is the best in town. As they sat down and looked over their menus, someone approached them.

 

“Alex?”

 

Both Tobin and Alex looked up at the man that approached them.

 

“Hi Ryan.”

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I was supposed to give you this yesterday,” he said, apologetically, handing Alex a business card.

 

“What’s this?” Alex questioned, taking the card.

 

“It’s the card for one of the contractors I was talking about.”

 

“Oh, right. Thank you,” she said.

 

“Sorry again. I should go now,” he said, looking between Tobin and Alex.

 

“Ryan, this is Tobin,” Alex said, motioning towards Tobin.

 

“The infamous Tobin,” he said, sticking out his hand for Tobin to shake, “You’re the one that saved Alex.”

 

Tobin laughed and shook his hand, “That would be me. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise. I need to get going. See you around,” he said, turning back to where he came from.

 

“You’ve talked about me with him?” Tobin questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, he took me out to two dates and I might have mentioned you,” Alex said, smiling.

 

“Dates?”

 

“Yes. We went out a couple times, but I just didn’t see us as a couple. It was just strange. Plus, I kind of had some feelings for someone else,” she said, picking up her silverware.

 

“And do I know that someone?”

 

“You might,” Alex said, teasingly.

 

—-

 

They had finished dinner and Alex drove Tobin to her house. Alex parked beside Tobin’s jeep and turned towards her.

 

“I had a real great time today,” Alex said, reaching over and holding Tobin’s hand.

 

“I did too,” Tobin said, watching Alex play with her fingers. “Do you want to come inside and have a beer or some wine?”

 

Alex looked up and smiled, “I’d love too,” she said. Tobin smiled and got out of the car. She walked towards the front door and waited for Alex before opening it. Before they entered, Tobin gave Alex a little warning.

 

“So, I’m still in the middle of redecorating and moving some stuff around after the divorce, so please just ignore the mess.”

 

Tobin led her into the house. It was a small, simple one-floor house. There were two bedrooms, a laundry room, a kitchen, and a living room. Tobin switched on the lights in the living room. Alex noticed a paddleboard leaning against the wall, a skateboard sitting in front of the T.V, and a soccer ball in the corner.

 

“You can have a seat,” Tobin said, motioning towards the couch, “What can I get you?”

 

“Wine,” she said, slowly moving to sit on the couch. As she did, she saw a picture frame sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up. It was a picture of Tobin holding a dog, the same dog she saw in the other picture back in the shop, as the dog licked the girls face. Alex smiled looking at how Tobin’s eyes crinkled as she gave a big smile.

 

“That’s Charlie,” Tobin said, as she entered the room with a glass of wine and a bottle of beer for herself. She handed the glass of wine to Alex and sat down next to her.

 

“Where is he?”

 

“He went with Christen, my ex,” Tobin said, taking a sip from her bottle.

 

“You must miss him,” Alex said, also taking a sip of her wine.

 

“Yeah. I miss the little guy. The house feels so empty without him,” Tobin said, sadly.

 

“Do you get to see him?”

 

“Once in a while. Sometimes Christen would drop by and leave him here for a few nights.”

 

“Have you decided to maybe get another dog?”

 

“I have and I will one day adopt, but I’m trying to clean up my mess first.”

 

“Understandable,” Alex said, before taking another sip.

 

“Alex?” Tobin said, softly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Tobin moved a bit closer to Alex; close enough she could feel the heat from Alex’s body.

 

“I don’t know what today meant for you, but for me..,” she trailed, not knowing how to continue.

 

Alex put her glass on wine down on the coffee table and turned slightly to face Tobin.

 

“Tobin, today meant a lot to me. You made me feel…complete,” Alex said, grabbing the hand closest to her. Tobin looks up at her with a surprised expression. “I wasn’t sure what it was, but when I first met you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Alex confessed.

 

“I feel the same way,” Tobin said, smiling from ear to ear.

 

“I know you got out of a relationship, but I’m willing to take things slow,” Alex said, rubbing circles on Tobin’s hand.

 

“Thank you,” Tobin said, raising their joint hands and kissing Alex’s hand.

 

“I should get going, it’s getting late,” Alex said, as she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. She got up and grabbed her bag, before heading towards the front door, with Tobin following behind.

 

“Thanks for the ride and thanks for today,” Tobin said, as she opened the door for Alex.

 

“I should be thanking you,” she said, leaning in and hugging Tobin. As she slowly pulled out of Tobin’s arms, she noticed Tobin looking at her lips.

 

“Can I take you out for some lunch tomorrow?” Tobin asked, who still had her hands slightly on Alex’s waist.

 

“I can’t tomorrow, but on Tuesday?”

 

“That works.”

 

“Alright, I should go,” Alex said, slowly backing away from Tobin’s touch.

 

“I’ll call you,” Tobin said, wishing Alex didn’t have to go.

 

“Goodnight, Tobin,” she said, leaning in and kissing Tobin on the cheek. She made her way to her car and waved when she got inside. Tobin waved back and watched Alex drive off. Tobin shut the door and raised her hand and placed it on the cheek Alex had kissed, “Goodnight, Alex,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	10. The Call

 Tobin was at work the next morning waiting for Ashlyn to arrive. When Tobin first opened up the shop, she knew she needed some help. So, she asked Ashlyn to help her out. Ashlyn became the co-owner of the surf shop and Tobin was glad. Ashlyn was like a big sister to Tobin. She was always there for her and was always looking out for her. No matter how much she would joke around with her, Tobin knew she would always be there for her.

 

As Tobin helped out one of the customers, Ashlyn made her way into the shop to start her shift. They didn't really have a set schedule, but they always enjoyed coming to work because they got to do what they loved. They hired a few employees, since the shop was a hit.

 

“So, how’d it go yesterday?” Ashlyn said, as she approached Tobin and handed her a cup of coffee.

 

“It went really well,” Tobin said, smiling from ear to ear.

 

“Oh? What happened?” Ashlyn said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, I found out she doesn't have a boyfriend,” Tobin said, taking a sip of the coffee.

 

“Really? I swear, she was with a guy…they were holding hands,” Ashlyn replied, confused.

 

“They might have been,” Tobin said, shrugging her shoulders,” but he’s just a real estate agent, who is helping her out.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry Tobin, I shouldn’t have just assumed.”

 

“It’s okay. I should be thanking you though.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well cause I ended up asking her about it and we kind of told each other that we had feelings for one another,” Tobin said, wrapping an arm around Ashlyn’s shoulder.

 

Ashlyn began a rapid fire, “Really? So, like are you two a couple? Did you guys kiss? Did she say she wants to be with you?”

 

“Calm down, Ash. One question at a time,” Tobin said, patting the girl’s shoulder. “We didn’t really say what we were. No, we didn’t kiss. And she might have hinted that she wanted to be with me.”

 

Ashlyn turned and gave Tobin a big hug. “I’m so happy for you, Tobs! Are you meeting her today? Cause I need to talk to her,” Ashlyn said, with a stern face.

 

“No, we aren’t seeing each other today. We are going to lunch tomorrow. Also, _you_ don’t need to talk to her,” Tobin said, raising her eyebrows.

 

“Don’t worry. It’s just going to be a small talk. I just need to know what her intentions are,” she said, putting an arm around Tobin’s shoulder, walking them towards the back of the shop.

 

“Just don’t scare her away. She’s special,” Tobin said, softly.

 

“Hey. I would never do that,” she said, rubbing Tobin’s arm, “I know the way you look at her. She’s very special,” she said, squeezing Tobin before letting go and heading to the back to put away her bag.

—

 

“So what are you up too?” Alex said, as she was taking a little break between the meetings at work.

 

“Well, I’ve been counting inventory. Nothing to exciting,” Tobin said, as she sat on the bench in the back room. “What about you?”

 

“I just finished up a meeting and have a bit of filing to do. Like you, nothing exciting,” Alex said, laughing a little.

 

“Well, hopefully tomorrow I can make your day a bit more exciting,” Tobin said.

 

“You’ve already made it exciting by calling me today,” Alex confessed.

 

Tobin smiled, “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

 

“I am too.”

 

Before Tobin could continue she heard Ashlyn call for her. “I need to go. Ashlyn’s calling for me.”

 

“Ok,” Alex said, trying not to sound disappointed, “I’ll text you later.”

 

“Bye, Al,” Tobin said.

 

“Bye Tobin.”

—-

 

Tobin decided to take a walk back home. She had just locked up the shop and Ashlyn had offered to give her a ride, but Tobin refused. She didn't get a run in the morning, so she had to make that up. After waving goodbye, Tobin made her way back home. As she walked home, she thought about the previous day and how everything unfolded. She smiled thinking about their confessions. She couldn’t wait to see Alex tomorrow, even if it was just for an hour.

 

Tobin continued walking and her phone began to ring. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled.

 

“What did I do to deserve this call?”

 

“Well, I wanted to say goodnight. I was going to text you, but I thought I’d call you instead,” Alex said.

 

“Are you already home?” Tobin asked.

 

“I’m just cleaning up at work. I’m about to head home soon. What about you?”

 

“I’m walking home. Just finished up,” Tobin said, as she crossed the street.

 

“This late?” Alex said, concerned.

 

Tobin glanced down at her watch to check the time. “Al, it’s only 9, plus I’m a big girl.”

 

“Of course you are,” Alex responded, laughing a little.

 

“Anyway, will you be coming over the shop or should we meet up somewhere?”

 

“I can come by and pick you up, say around 12:30?”

 

“That sounds good to me,” Tobin said, as she continued walking down the street. Alex decided to give Tobin some company, until she reached her home. As they continued to talk, Tobin didn't realize a man running up behind her. As Tobin was about to cross, the man made his way towards Tobin. He ended up knocking the girl to the ground, just barely missing an oncoming car.

 

“Tobin?” Alex said, frightened when she heard Tobin gasp.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Tobin shouted, as she looked up from the ground, trying to see who it was. She noticed a man wearing a black hoodie, hood up, run down the sidewalk and then disappear when he rounded the corner. Tobin got up and patted herself, trying to take off the dirt. She leaned down and picked up her phone, noticing the screen was shattered a little.

 

“Hello?” Tobin said, still a little out of breath from that encounter.

 

“Tobin! Are you all right? What happened?” Alex questioned with concern.

 

“I’m fine. Someone came up from behind and shoved me to the ground. Not sure what happened or why he did that,” Tobin said, as she continued to walk back home, now being extra cautious.

 

“Where are you? Let me pick you up,” Alex replied.

 

“Al, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m almost home,” Tobin said as she ran a hand over her face to move her hair out of the way. As she did that, she felt something wet on her fingers. She looked at her hand and noticed there was blood. Tobin sighed.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing, just a little cut above the eyebrow. I’ll live,” she said, trying to play it cool.

 

“Tobin, this isn’t funny. Let me pick you. I’m leaving work now, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

 

“Alex. I’m fine. You go home and rest.”

 

“Tobin, tell me where you are otherwise, I’ll drive down each street until I find you,” Alex said, with a stern voice. Tobin sighed and told Alex where she was. Tobin sat down on a nearby bench and waited for Alex. Ten minutes later, she saw Alex’s car come up to the side of the curb. Tobin got up and walked towards the car.

 

As she opened the car door and sat down she spoke, “You didn't have to come. I was almost home.”

 

Tobin turned her head towards Alex waiting for the girl to respond. Tobin watched as Alex examined her face. Alex reached into the glove compartment and pulled out some tissues. She brought one tissue up to her lips and spit into it a little. She leaned over the center console and reached towards Tobin’s face. She brought the tissue above Tobin’s eyebrow and cleaned the cut.

 

Tobin felt one hand resting on her cheek and the other above her eye. She watched Alex and noticed how much concern the woman had for her. Tobin smiled and as Alex finished up. Tobin continued to stare at the woman.

 

“What?” she said, softly.

 

“You didn't have to pick me up,” Tobin said, admiring the woman.

 

“You were hurt,” Alex said, as she shifted her gaze from Tobin’s eyes and looked at the cut.

 

“Nothing that I couldn't handle. But, thank you for worrying,” Tobin replied, smiling.

 

“Did you see who it was?” Alex asked.

 

“No. Just a guy in a black hoodie,” Tobin said, reaching for her seatbelt.

 

Alex thought back to last night and how she felt like a hooded figure was watching her.

 

“You alright?” Tobin asked, noticing Alex was in deep thought.

 

Alex turned and looked at Tobin, “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

 

Tobin nodded her head. Alex started the car and made her way towards Tobin’s house. A few minutes later they arrived. Alex parked beside Tobin’s jeep.

 

“Thanks for the ride,” Tobin said, as she took off her seatbelt and turned to look at Alex.

 

“Next time, please tell me when you get off. I’ll drop you off,” Alex said, reaching over to hold Tobin’s hand.

 

“I usually ride my skateboard back home. But, if like today, something comes up, I will call you,” Tobin said, giving her hand a squeeze.

 

“That’s all I ask,” Alex replied, smiling at Tobin.

 

They sat there in silence for a few moments until Tobin spoke up.

 

“Alex?” Tobin whispered.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you maybe want to go on a date?” Tobin asked, using her other hand to rub the back of her neck.

 

“A date?” Alex said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Uh- Yeah. A date. With me.” Tobin looked at the girl and waited for her to respond. A couple seconds later, she saw a smile form on Alex’s face.

 

“I thought you'd never ask,” Alex said, smiling.

 

“Really?” Tobin said, but realized she might have sounded a bit too surprised, “Uh- Really?” she said, trying to tone her voice down.

 

“I’d love to go on a date with you. Friday night?”

 

“That works for me. I’ll pick you up.”

 

“Sounds great,” Alex said, excitedly.

 

“I should let you go,” Tobin said, releasing her hand from Alex’s slowly.

 

“See you tomorrow?”

 

“I’ll see tomorrow,” Tobin said, smiling at the blue-eyed girl. As Tobin was about to leave, she felt her hand begin tugged. She turned around and noticed Alex lean in. She leaned in and kissed Tobin’s cheek.

 

“Goodnight, Tobin,” she whispered in her ear.

 

“Goodnight, Alex.”

 

Tobin got out of the car and made her way towards the front door. Once, opened it and she was standing inside the doorway, she turned back and waved at Alex. She watched the girl wave back and then back out of her driveway.

 

Tobin made her way inside the house and towards her bedroom. She changed into a t-shirt and boxers before making her way into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and noticed the gash just above her eyebrow. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before finding the first aid kit and cleaning the cut.

 

She went to her bed and picked up the phone she had tossed on her pillow. She looked at the phone and realized there was a text message.

 

**Christen: Hey. I’m going out of town Friday through Sunday. Can you watch Charlie?**

Tobin read the message again and realized she was going to go on a date with Alex on Friday. ‘ _Maybe I can make dinner at home and we can have the date here. I think she would like that.’_ Tobin thought.

 

**Tobin: Sure. Let me know when you’ll be dropping him off.**

**Christen: Thanks! I’ll come by at 4. Does that work?**

**Tobin: That works. See you on Friday.**

**Christen: See you.**

Tobin put her phone on charge and lay in bed until exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep.

 __

 

Time was not going fast enough for Alex. She was looking forward to her lunch with Tobin and was thinking about the date on Friday. It had been a while since Morgan had these feelings. She hadn’t really gone out on dates and just didn't feel like she was meeting the right people. But, that all changed when she met Tobin Heath. She smiled thinking about the tan girl, her lanky but muscular frame, her smile and beautiful eyes. All Alex knew was that she wanted to be with Tobin, no matter what.

 

After checking the clock, what seemed to be like the twentieth time, she finally realized it was time to go pick up Tobin. So, she gathered her stuff and drove to Tobin’s surf shop.

—

 

Tobin checked her watch and smiled. _‘Alex should be coming soon.’_ She helped out a customer and went to the back to let Ashlyn know she would be going soon. After saying goodbye, she made her way to the front of the shop and noticed Alex enter. Tobin smiled and waved at Alex.

 

“Hey!” Alex said, walking up to Tobin and hugging her. Tobin hugged her back, feeling the heat radiating from the taller girl. As they let go, Alex moved her hands and placed them on both of Tobin’s cheeks, trying to examine her cut.

 

“How is it?” she asked, slightly running her finger over it. Tobin flinched a little, “It doesn’t hurt that much.”

 

Alex nodded her head and dropped her hands to her side. Tobin opened the door for Alex and they made their way towards her car.

 

“So, how’s your day going?” Tobin said, sitting in the car and buckling her seatbelt.

 

“Well, it’s a bit too slow today. Not a lot happening. What about you?” she asked, pulling out of the parking lot and driving towards the restaurant.

 

“Unlike you, my day started off with Ashlyn yelling at me,” Tobin said, chuckling a little. “She was mad I didn't take her offer last night, that way I could have avoided this,” she said, pointing towards her cut.

 

“You should have listened to her,” Alex said, raising an eyebrow at her.

 

Tobin put her hands up in front of her, “Ok. Relax. Don’t need another lecture. Can we please talk about something else,” she said, lowering her hands.

 

“Fine,” Alex huffed.

 

“So about Friday…” Tobin started, but before she continued, Alex butted in.

 

“Already cancelling on me?” she said with a smirk on her face.

 

“No, of course not. I was wondering if you wanted to have the date at my place,” Tobin said, hoping Alex wouldn't mind.

 

“Uh- sure.”

 

“I would take you out to a fancy restaurant, but Christen is dropping off Charlie at my place on Friday, and I hoping we…” Alex cut off Tobin again. “Tobin, I’d be happy to spend time with you and Charlie. You don't need to take me out to a fancy place. It doesn't matter where we go, as long as I get to be with you, I’m happy,” Alex said, smiling over at Tobin.

 

Tobin’s insides warmed up with. She was at awe with this woman. “Thank you,” Tobin said, smiling back at her, “And I promise I’ll make you the best dinner ever. I’ll be coking my specialty.”

 

“Oh really? What is you specialty?”

 

“You’ll find out on Friday,” Tobin said, smirking at Alex.

—

 

“Thanks for lunch,” Tobin said, as they made their way back to her car.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just-” before she could continue, her phone rang. “One sec.”

 

“Hello?” Alex groaned when she heard silence over the line. It was that mysterious phone call again. Tobin looked at Alex and noticed her face was filled with annoyance. She reached over and took Alex’s phone into her own.

 

“Listen up! Whoever you are…you better stop calling this number or else,” Tobin said, her tone filled with anger. As she was about to pull the phone away from her ear, but she heard a little whisper on the other line, “ _Watch out_.” It took Tobin a couple of seconds to understand what the voice had said, “Watch out for what?” she yelled. Before she could continue, the phone was disconnected.

 

Alex looked at Tobin, her expressions now changed from annoyance to concern. “Who was it? What did they want?”

 

“I don’t know. But, all I heard was a little whisper that said watch out,” Tobin said, trying to understand what was going on.

 

“Watch out for what?” Alex said, looking around her and Tobin.

 

“I’m not sure,” Tobin said, also looking around them. They stood there for a moment before Tobin spoke again. “How long?”

 

“How long what?” Alex said, confused.

 

“The phone calls. How long has it been?”

 

“Um… a couple of weeks now.”

 

Tobin nodded her head, “You need to report this.”

 

Alex looked at Tobin and noticed the tan woman was concerned. “Okay.”

 

“I can go with you to the police station. Whatever this was, needs to stop,” Tobin said, handing the phone back to her. They continued to walk back to Alex’s car, trying to process the mystery call. Alex drove Tobin back to the surf shop and they sat in silence for a few seconds.

 

“Hey, don't worry,” Tobin said, reaching over and interlocking their hands. She rubbed small circles on Alex’s hand. “Tomorrow, we will go to the police station and report the calls. It’ll all be ok. I’m here for you,” Tobin said with a reassuring smile.

 

“Thank you,” Alex said, leaning over and hugging Tobin.

 

“I need to get back now and I think you do too,” Tobin said, as she kissed the top of Alex’s forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, pulling back from the hug and getting out of the car.

 

“See you,” Alex said smiling at her.

—

 

Alex went to bed that night not being able to sleep. She kept thinking back to the mysterious phone calls and how she thought she was being watched. Everything felt so strange. She thought they were prank calls at first, but she knew it was more than just a prank call. She was so grateful Tobin was with her today. Otherwise she would have freaked out. What this was has to be stopped.

 

Just as she was about to turn to her side, she noticed the phone light up. She reached over to check. It was a message from Tobin.

 

**Tobin: Goodnight, Alex. Sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow and we will figure this out.**

Alex smiled reading the text before writing out a reply.

 

**Alex: Thanks Tobin. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight!**

Alex put her phone down and rolled over to her side. Everything she was worrying about disappeared. She thoughts were now filled with Tobin. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you guys think?


	11. Charlie

As promised Tobin went with Alex to the police station around noon the next day. They were escorted to one of the rooms, where they would get to talk to someone that would take down the report and possibly investigate. They were told that Andy, one of the police officers, would help them with the complaint.

 

“So, you’ve been getting these calls for about three weeks now?” Andy asked.

 

“Yes, around three weeks,” Alex confirms.

 

“When you answered the phone calls, nobody said anything? It was just silence?”

 

“Yes, all of the calls, except for one, were silent.”

 

“And you are sure that someone was on the line when you answered it.”

 

“Yes, I could hear someone breathing on the other end,” Alex said, squeezing Tobin’s hand under the table.

 

“You said that all were silent, except for one. What did this person say?” Andy questioned.

 

Tobin spoke up, “He said watch out. I asked for what and the line was disconnected.”

 

Andy jolted something down on the notepad sitting in from of him. “ _Watch out._ Did you happen to recognize the voice? Was it a male or female?”

 

“It was barely a whisper, but it was definitely a male,” Tobin replied.

 

“Hmm…so, you have been getting calls and this one call he said watch out. However, you aren't sure who or what this person is referring to,” Andy said, trying to piece everything together.

 

“That’s correct,” Alex confirmed.

 

“Do you happen to have any enemies? Anyone that has been giving you trouble? Or anyone you think could be behind the calls?”

 

Alex sat there for a few seconds trying to think of someone that would want to do this to her. “No. I can’t think of anyone that would do this.”

 

The officer nodded and jolted something in this notepad again. He looked over his notes for a few moments before looking up at Alex.

 

“Since, this number is not traceable and there have been no direct threats, at this moment we are not able to do anything. I know this isn't something you would like to hear and this is something that I don't like saying. But, without any physical evidence or actual threats, we are not able to investigate any further. However, we will have this claim on hand and will remain open. If you get more phone calls, please keep a record of them. If you notice any other suspicious behaviour, make sure to record that and report back to us.”

 

Alex wasn't surprised by his answer regarding her claim. There wasn't much to go on. Alex felt Tobin squeeze her hand this time.

 

“If you feel like you or someone you love is in danger, please don't hesitate and call us. We take these cases seriously. We just need a bit more to fully investigate this. I hope you understand. The best advice I can give you is that you shouldn’t stay out too late by yourself. Always have someone with you and make sure you let someone know where you are at all times. We need evidence, so please keep track,” Andy got up and walked over to Alex and Tobin. “If you feel threatened, please don't hesitate to call. Here, take my card,” he said, handing Alex his card, “and call me if you receive more calls. I will have your file, so I will continue to add everything in here. Stay safe,” he said, getting his stuff and walking out of the room.

 

Alex looked down at the card and then back at Tobin, who gave her a reassuring smile. They both get up and make their way out of the police station. Tobin walks over to the passenger side door and opens it for Alex. Before Tobin goes over to the driver’s side, she feels her hand being tugged back. She turns and is quickly engulfed in a hug by Alex.

 

“Thank you for coming with me,” she says, holding Tobin close.

 

“I just want you to be safe,” Tobin said, moving her hands up and down Alex’s back. She then steps back a little and was about to leave again, but this time she is stopped by Alex’s lips capturing her own. Tobin was surprised and didn't react right away. But, when she realized what was happening, she starts to kiss Alex back. The kiss was soft, their lips moving smoothly against each other. Alex’s arms snake behind Tobin’s neck, while Tobin grabs Alex’s waist. A few moments later, they break apart and stare at each other, both of them out of breath.

 

“I’m sorry,” Alex said, after her breathing became normal. “I don't know what happened.”

 

Tobin smiled, raising her hand and lifting Alex’s head up so she could see her beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t be. I’m glad you did it cause I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” Tobin says with a huge smile on her face. Alex smiles back at her, leaning in to peck her on the lips. She then steps back and sits into the jeep. Tobin closes the door and moves to the other side. Tobin drops off Alex at her work and promises to meet her again tomorrow. Tobin drove back to her shop with a huge smile on her face. 

—

 

“What’s with the Joker smile?” Ashlyn asked, as Tobin entered into the shop. Tobin walked over to her and sat on the counter.

 

“We kissed,” she said with a big grin on her face.

 

“About time!” Ashlyn says, patting Tobin’s thigh. Tobin shakes her head at her. “So, how did it go at the police station?”

 

“Well, they aren't going to do anything cause there isn't an actual threat or enough evidence. So, we just need to be on the lookout,” she said, running her hand through her hair.

 

“That sucks. I hope whoever is calling will stop and this is just all a big joke.”

 

“I hope so too, Ash. But, the way the guy spoke give me chills. I just hope this person stops calling her. Alex is trying to play it off, but I can tell she’s afraid,” Tobin said, wondering who the person could be.

 

“Don’t worry, Tobs. As long as you are with her, she will be fine,” Ashlyn replied, placing a gentle hand on Tobin’s thigh.

 

“I’ll always be there for her.”

—-

 

It was around six o’clock when Tobin was finished for the day. So, she grabbed her skateboard and made her way home. As she was waiting at the stoplight, she heard someone call for her.

 

“Hey. Tobin?”

 

Tobin turned around and met a familiar face. “Hey, Ryan,” she said, smiling at him.

 

“I thought it was you,” he said, as he came up to her. “Thought I’d say hi.”

 

“Just getting off work?” Tobin asked, as she noticed Ryan holding a briefcase and dressed in a suit.

 

“Just had a little meeting. What about you?”

 

“I just finished up. Just heading home now.”

 

“That’s great,” he said. They both stood in silence waiting for the lights to change.

 

“So, uh- how’s Alex?” he asked.

 

“She’s good.”

 

“That’s good,” he said, nodding his head. “So, are you two…uh- together?”

 

“Uh- Yeah. We are seeing each other,” Tobin said, not sure if she should have said that considering Ryan and Alex did go out on a few dates. And she’s pretty sure, Ryan still had feelings for Alex. She noticed this when his face dropped when she said they were seeing each other.

 

“I’m happy for you two,” he said, feigning a smile. Tobin smiled a bit and noticed the lights changed.

 

“So, Uh- I’ll see you around,” Tobin said, placing her foot on her skateboard.

 

“Sure. Say hi to Alex for me,” he said. Tobin nodded her head and pushed her other foot, crossing the street and heading home.

—

 

Tobin smiled when Alex came to her shop the next day. She led her to the back of the shop, so they could talk in private. When they reached the back, Tobin turned around and faced Alex, her eyes glancing down at Alex’s lips. Alex noticed this and spoke, “You know, if you want to kiss me, you can,” she said with a smile. Tobin looked back up into her blue eyes. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

 

“Hi”

 

“Hi to you too,” Alex said, leaning in again. When they broke apart they smiled at each other.

 

“I can get used to this,” Tobin said, pulling Alex into a hug. “So can I.”

 

“So, how are you?” Tobin said, letting go of Alex and leading her to the bench. They both sat down and Alex sighed.

 

“I’m good. It’s just these calls have been bothering me. I didn't tell you this before, but that night when I was waiting in line for the Ferris wheel, I felt like someone was watching me,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “I saw a hooded figure in the shadows and before you know it, the person disappeared.”

 

“Why didn't you say anything then?”

 

“Because, I was with you. I felt safe.”

 

Tobin wrapped her arm around Alex’s shoulders, bringing the woman closer to her.

 

“Promise me that if see anything or feeling anything suspicious, no matter how small you might think it might be, that you’ll tell me,” Tobin said, running her hand through Alex’s hair.

 

“I promise,” she said, wrapping her arm around Tobin’s waist and pulling her in closer.

—

 

It was finally Friday and Alex was looking forward to her date with Tobin. Over the past few days their relationship had quickly started to grow. Alex thought back to when she kissed Tobin, was it too soon? Alex didn't want Tobin to think that she was rushing. She had promised to take things slow for her, since she just recently finalized her divorce. Alex knew that she had to talk to Tobin tonight and tell her that she’s willing to take things slower, if she thinks they are moving to fast.

—

 

Tobin was home around three o’clock, knowing she had a lot of things to do before Alex came over. She went into the living room area and began to tidy things up. After cleaning up the living room, she began to clean the rest of the house. She wanted everything to be perfect. She went to the kitchen and began to take out the ingredients she needed to make her specialty dish. Just a bit after four, she heard a knock on the front door. She made her way to the door and opened. Standing there was a deliveryman, who had a box in his hand.

 

“Ms. Heath?” he said, looking at the sheet to confirm whom the package was for.

 

“Yes. That’s me.”

 

“This is for you,” he said, handing her a medium sized box. “Please sign here.” Tobin signed the paper and thanked the man, before taking the box from him. Tobin looked at the box and wondered where or who it was from, since she wasn't expecting anything. Before she could check the box, there was another knock on her door. She quickly made her way to her room and placed the box on her desk. She then walked back to the front and opened the door.

 

“Hey,” Christen said, when Tobin opened the door.

 

“Hi,” Tobin said, leaning in and giving Christen a quick hug. “Where is he?” Tobin said, looking around Christen to look for Charlie.

 

“He already ran to the backyard,” she said, smiling.

 

“Come in,” Tobin said, inviting Christen inside the house. She came inside, and they both made their way to the kitchen and to the porch door. Tobin opened it and noticed Charlie running around in circles. Tobin shook her head and laughed. This dog was something else.

 

“Charlie!” Tobin yelled. Charlie stopped and looked up to the source that yelled. He then quickly ran towards Tobin, knocking the girl down, who had crouched down for him and began to lick her face.

 

“Calm down, Char,” Tobin said, laughing, trying to avoid Charlie’s tongue. A few moments later, Charlie finally got off of Tobin and she sat up. She hugged the brown and white English bulldog. “I missed you, buddy,” Tobin said, rubbing the top of his head, before getting up. She watched as Charlie made his way back into the grass.

 

Tobin turned around and noticed Christen leaning against the sliding door, smiling. “He missed you too.” Tobin smiled and both of them made their way inside, leaving the back door open for Charlie. As Christen made her way to the front door, she looked around the place, remembering the time when this used to be their home.

 

“So, you’ll be back on Sunday?”

 

“Huh- Uh, Yeah. I can pick him up on Sunday, but it’ll probably be late.”

 

“Maybe you can pick him up on Monday?” Tobin suggested, hoping she could spend another day with him.

 

“Sure. I can pick him up on Monday. Will you be at work?”

 

“I’ll probably take him down there. I’m sure Ashlyn would love to see him too,” she said, smiling, looking back and noticing Charlie making his way inside the house.

 

“Sounds good. I’ll text you when I come over.”

 

“Great.”

 

Christen walked over to Charlie, who had made his way into the living room. “Bye, Char. I’ll see you soon. Make sure you behave,” she said, leaning down and placing a kiss on Charlie’s head.

 

“Bye, Tobin,” she says, as she exits the front door.

 

“Bye, Christen. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.” 

—

 

Tobin went to her bedroom with Charlie walking right behind her. She had finished cooking her special pasta, along with some salad. Noticing it was almost time for Alex to come over, she went to go take a shower and change. After a quick shower she changed into her clothes. She wore her ripped jeans and a white button up, with the sleeves rolled up. Her hair was open, in their natural waves. She applied some light makeup. After checking the mirror, she was satisfied.

 

“How does mommy look?” Tobin said, in a high pitch, while bending down and rubbing Charlie’s belly. She got up and looked around the house making sure everything was perfect. Tobin went into the kitchen and played some music from the speaker dock. She went to the fridge and took out a bottle of beer. After taking a few sips, she hears a knock on the front door. Tobin placed the beer on the counter and made her way to the front.

 

She opened the door and had her breath taken away. Alex was wearing a floral summer dress that came just above her knees.

 

“Hey,” she spoke.

 

Tobin couldn't say anything. But finally a few moments later she spoke up, “Hey…You look beautiful.” Alex blushed. “Come in,” Tobin said, opening the door wider allowing Alex to come in.

 

“Here, I brought some wine,” Alex said, handing the wine over to Tobin. As she handed it to Tobin, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and noticed a dog sitting in the corner. Alex smiled. “Is that Charlie?” she said, walking over towards the English bulldog.

 

“That’s him,” Tobin said, taking the wine and placing it in the kitchen before returning to the living room. Alex was kneeling on the floor and was petting Charlie. “Aren’t you a cutie,” she said. Tobin smiled at the scene in front of her. She quietly took out her phone and took a picture of the two.

 

Alex got up and made her way towards Tobin. “He’s adorable,” she said, looking back at Charlie.

 

“He is,” Tobin said, pulling Alex into a hug.

 

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Alex said, pulling back from the hug.

 

“Well, I was thinking we could hang around outside in the backyard for a bit, and have dinner, then maybe watch a movie?”

 

“Sounds perfect,” Alex said, leaning in and kissing Tobin’s cheek.

—

 

They were outside for an hour, just talking and playing with Charlie. At one point, Tobin brought out the soccer ball and was kicking it around with Charlie. Alex sat on a lounge chair and drank some beer, smiling, while watching the two of them play.

 

After Charlie was tired out, they made their way inside to eat some dinner. Tobin ushered Alex out of the kitchen because she wanted to surprise her. A few moments later, Tobin asked Alex to come in the kitchen. Alex entered the kitchen and noticed the table decorated with candles and flowers. She was in awe.

 

“So what do you think?” Tobin asked, nervously.

 

“I love it,” she said, walking over to the table and smelling the flowers. “This is all so beautiful. Thank you,” she said, honestly.

 

Tobin smiled and walked towards Alex, leaning in and presses a soft kiss on her mouth. “I’m glad you like it. I just hope you like the food too.”

 

“I’m sure I’ll love it, especially since you made it.”

 

Tobin pulled out the chair for Alex and placed a plate full of food in front of her before taking a seat across from her. She watched as Alex took a bit of the food. Alex looked up and smiled. “Tobin, this is fantastic!”

 

Tobin smiled, “Only for you,” she said, before taking a bit of her own food.

—

 

After finishing their food and cleaning the dishes, which Alex insisted on helping because it was the least she could do for such a great dinner. Tobin poured Alex some wine and grabbed herself another beer. They made their way to the couch, sitting next to each other, with Charlie curled up next to Tobin. As the movie progressed, Alex had placed her head on Tobin’s shoulder, with Tobin taking one of her hands, intertwining with her own and holding them in her lap. Alex could care less about the movie; she was just focused on the woman sitting beside her. The heat radiating off of her body, the closeness, the touch of her hands on hers. Alex knew she wanted to take things slow just for Tobin, but the craving she had for her was unbearable. She needed Tobin. She needed her now. But, she was respecting their decision to take things slow. She knew that before the night ended, she needed to talk to Tobin about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think?


	12. The Box

After the movie finished, Tobin moved Charlie to his bed, since he was already sleeping. Tobin then walked back over to Alex and sat down next to her. Alex knew this was the time to talk.

 

“Tobin can we talk?” Alex asked, as she leaned in closer into the tan woman.

 

“Uh- Sure. Should I be worried?” Tobin replied, looking down Alex.

 

“No. It’s just about us,” she said, moving off of Tobin so she could look at her brown eyes.

 

“What’s wrong?” Tobin asked, a little concerned.

 

“It’s just that I really like you, but I feel like we might be going a bit to fast. I promised you that we’d take things slow, but I-” Alex was cut off by Tobin, who placed her lips on hers. After they break apart, Tobin speaks.

 

“I hope that clears your doubts about taking things too fast,” Tobin said, smirking before continuing, “I really like you too. It’s been a while since I’ve felt something like this for someone. You are special, Alex. If for some reason, I feel like things are going to fast, I’ll let you know. But, I’m so happy right now and I don’t want anything to change, unless you think we are moving to fast.” Tobin looked at her lovingly. “I need you.”

 

Alex nods her head and smiles. “I need you too.”

 

Tobin leans in and kisses Alex with passion. They fall back on the couch with Alex on the bottom, her hands tangling in Tobin’s hair. Tobin uses one hand to keep her up, while the other one moves down Alex’s body to her waist. Alex reaches up and begins to unbutton Tobin’s shirt, their lips still attached to each other. Tobin’s tongue traces over Alex’s lips, asking for permission, which the taller woman does. Tobin’s tongue traces the roof of her mouth, eliciting a soft moan from the woman. Alex finishes unbuttoning Tobin’s shirt, running a hand over her stomach. Alex uses her elbows to lean up, still not breaking the kiss. Tobin gets off of Alex, releasing her lips. She stands and offers a hand to Alex. She takes the hand and Tobin leads them to her bedroom. She opens the door and turns to Alex, looking into her eyes to see if there was any hesitation. There wasn’t. Her eyes were filled with love and lust. Before Tobin can say or do anything, Alex throws herself on to her, capturing her lips.

 

Alex pulls the unbuttoned shirt off of Tobin and drops it on the floor. Her hands move to the waistband of Tobin’s jeans. Tobin reaches to the back of Alex’s dress and unzips it. Alex’s tongue enters her mouth, causing the tan woman to softly moan. Tobin works her hands to Alex’s shoulders, pushing the straps to the side and pulling the dress down, so it could slide off the woman. Alex walks out of the dress, causing Tobin to take a step back and falling on the bed. Tobin leans back on her elbows, looking up at Alex. She bites her lip as she looks at Alex up and down. Alex walks closer and crawls on top of Tobin, latching her lips onto hers.

 

Soon the rest of their clothes end up on the floor. They take things slow, but show their passion for one another. As they finished making love, they lay next to each other, trying to catch their breath. Tobin faces Alex and smiles. She knew that they had just begun their relationship, but everything about it felt right to her. Alex made her whole. She would do anything to protect her. She loved her.

 

“I love you,” Tobin whispered, looking into the blue eyes.

 

“I love you too,” Alex said, smiling from ear to ear before leaning in and kissing her.

 

They held each other close and eventually fell asleep.

—

 

A few hours later, a light beaming through Tobin’s bedroom window awakes Alex. She feels an arm lightly wrapped around her waist, she looks over at the other woman and smiles. She slowly gets up and puts on Tobin’s shirt from last night. She buttons it up and moves towards the window. She peeks through the blinds and notices a car parked near the driveway. She spreads the blinds out with her fingers, trying to see who it was. But, as she opened the blinds further, she notices the car leaving. As she tried to figure out what the car was doing, she felt two arms circle around her waist.

 

“What are you doing?” Tobin asks her voice filled with sleep. Alex leans into the woman behind her.

 

“Nothing. I just noticed a light coming through the room and saw it was some car’s headlights. Not sure what they were doing, but they’re gone now.” Alex turns around and hugs Tobin. “Lets sleep,” she said, leading Tobin back to the bed. Tobin crawls in with Alex right behind her. Alex spoons Tobin and combs her hand through Tobin’s hair, lulling the girl back to sleep. Alex eventually goes back to sleep too.

—

 

The next morning, Tobin wakes up first because she feels something lick her hand. She opens up one eye and looks down at her hand, which was dangling off of the bed, and noticed Charlie. Tobin felt an arm resting on her naked back. She smiled. Last night was amazing. Tobin grinned thinking back to how their hands and lips were feeling each part of their naked bodies. Her thoughts are interrupted when she feels Charlie lick her hand again. Tobin waves Charlie towards the door. Charlie looked up at her and then backs towards the door before walking out of the room. Tobin reluctantly gets up slowly and makes her way towards the bathroom. After changing into some shorts and a t-shirt, she makes her way into the living room.

 

“Hey, Char. How’d you sleep?” she said, squatting down next to him and petting his head before pecking him on the head. “Let’s take you outside.”

 

Tobin lets Charlie do his business as she goes back inside to the kitchen to start the coffee and pour some water into Charlie’s bowl. She sets the bowl down and walks towards the sliding door. She leans against it and watches Charlie run around in the grass. A few moments later, she feels two arms wrap around her, pulling her close.

 

“Morning,” Alex says, placing a kiss on Tobin’s cheek.

 

“Good morning to you too,” Tobin replies, turning around and returning the kiss. “Coffees almost done.”

 

Alex nods her head and walks back to sit on the stool by the kitchen island. “You look good in that shirt,” Tobin says, as she walks into the kitchen, taking out two mugs. Alex blushes.

 

“Tobin, about last night…I…we” she sighs, “It was amazing,” Alex finally says, blushing a bit more. Tobin places the mugs on the counter top and moves to stand next to Alex. She wraps her arms around her. “Alex, last night was beautiful,” she said, placing a kiss on top of Alex’s head. “I love you.”

 

Alex looks up at Tobin and smiles, “I love you too.” Tobin leans down and places a soft kiss on her lips. They break apart when they hear Charlie entering the kitchen. Alex gets up and goes over to him.

 

“Hey there, buddy,” she said, rubbing his belly.

 

Tobin poured them some coffee and handed a cup to Alex. They made their way towards the couch and sat in silence for a few moments, trying to shake off the sleep.

 

“So what are your plans for today?” Alex asked.

 

“Well, I want to spend as much time as I can with Charlie. So, I was planning on taking him down to the beach.”

 

“That sounds like a good idea.”

 

“Do you want to come with?”

 

“I’d love too. But, first I need to go back home and then meet up with Syd and Allie for lunch. Could we meet up for dinner?”

 

“Of course,” Tobin said, leaning over and kissing Alex. “I could order some pizza and we can eat here?”

 

“That sounds perfect,” Alex said, as she got up from the couch. “I should get going.”

 

“Stay.”

 

Alex smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

“Not soon enough.”

 

Alex shook her head and went towards the bedroom to change into her clothes. Tobin turned her head from where she was sitting on the couch and watched Alex go back to the bedroom. _‘How did I get so lucky?’_

_—_

Alex had gone home, so Tobin went outside to play with Charlie. After chasing Charlie around and tiring him, they went back into the house. Charlie made his way to his bed in the living room. Tobin went back to her room, remembering she had received a package yesterday. She brings out the box to the living room. Siting it on the coffee table, she opens it up. She lifts some bubble wrap from the box and lifts up a few objects from the box.

 

It was her brother, Jeff’s, belongings.

 

Tobin noticed a note inside the box. She lifted it up and read it.

 

_Tobin,_

_We never met, but I was dating your brother. My name is Jennifer. Before he left and when he returned, some of his belongings were still at my place. We broke up when he went back, but he returned to my home to grab a few of his things. I wasn't in the country when he came, but when I returned I noticed he had left some stuff behind. I kept them in this box for some time. I realized it was not right for me to keep his things and should return them back to his family. I found your address and shipped them to you. I apologize, but you have them know. I really did love your brother. I still cannot believe he is no longer with us. He was strong, but I guess not strong enough. It didn't make sense to me, when I heard about his passing. I hope you and you family are healing._

_Sorry again for keeping this from you all. Please accept by apology._

_Sincerely,_

_Jennifer_

Tobin folded the letter and sat down on the couch. She had the hardest time to cope with Jeff’s death. From her siblings, Jeff was her favourite. They got along so well with each other. They told each other everything. When Tobin was moving around from place to place due to soccer, she would always make time for Jeff. They were inseparable as kids and as they grew older, they became best friends.

 

Jeff was serving for the United States Army. After he had returned, she found out that he was suffering from PTSD. He would have reoccurring nightmares of his time overseas. He was suffering, but Tobin was there to help him. He received treatment and was doing much better. Tobin finally began to see the old Jeff. However, a few months later, Jeff was found dead in his car. The police did an investigation and determined Jeff had committed suicide. Tobin couldn't believe it. To this day, she still thinks Jeff’s death was not a suicide. Nothing added up. So, the weeks following his death, Tobin began so obsessively investigate his death. This cost her as it put a strain on her relationship with Christen.

 

Tobin began to ignore everyone in her life. She was focused on finding out who had killed Jeff. She didn't care what the police were saying; all she knew was Jeff wouldn't do this. She would leave to different states to go meet Jeff’s friends, trying to figure out if he had any enemies. She saved all the articles that were printed of Jeff’s death. She searched for crimes that happened in the area, trying to connect them with Jeff.

 

Christen was patient with Tobin. She tried her best to support her. But, soccer was important for Christen and she needed to go back. She didn't want to leave Tobin alone. But, she knew it was the right thing to do. Tobin on the other hand, kept pushing Christen away. She needed to be alone. They constantly fought over little things. Everything kept getting worse and worse. One day, Tobin raised her hand at Christen. She immediately put it down and regretted her action. But, it had frightened Christen. She had never seen such a broken and angry Tobin before. Tobin apologized and told Christen that she couldn't keep this relationship going. Tobin wasn't keeping her happy and was preventing Christen from achieving her dreams. She couldn't do that to her. Christen moved out of the house for a few months and eventually, they decided it was best for them to stay apart. They filed for divorce.

 

They might have ended on rough terms, but they still loved each other and respect one another. They decided to stay as friends because of Charlie. Tobin was happy for Christen. She was doing so well with her career and she had also met someone else. Tobin realized she had to pick up her act, which is why she opened up the surf shop with the help of Ashlyn. She still was trying to figure out what had happened to Jeff, but spent her time wisely.

 

Tobin got off the couch and began to look through the box. There were a couple of Jeff’s shirts, some of his military gear, a few of his favourite band records, a few other things and some documents. Tobin picked up one of his shirts and hugged it. She let out a few tears, but composed herself. She opened a file that had a few documents inside, as she was about to put them on the coffee table, an envelope fell to the ground. She picked up the envelope and noticed a faint name scribbled on the corner ‘ _Serv.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to get this posted.   
> What do you guys think?   
> Hope you guys are enjoying this story!


	13. I Told You To Watch Out

Tobin picked up the envelope and noticed a faint name scribbled on the corner ‘ _ Serv.’   _ She examined the envelope and was about to open it, but her phone rang. She put the letter back down on the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen to pick up the phone. 

 

“Hello?” she said, not checking the caller ID when quickly picking it up. 

 

_ “ _ Hey, are you busy right now? I need to you come over to the shop real quick,” Ashlyn said. Tobin could hear a bit of panic in her voice. 

 

“What happened, Ash? Are you OK?” Tobin asked, worried.

 

“I’m good, but I think you should come over here.”

 

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” Tobin said. She quickly went into the living room and put all the stuff in the box. She took it to the room and grabbed her wallet. She went back to the kitchen to grab the keys to her Jeep, before quickly picking up Charlie and going outside. 

—

 

She quickly drove to the shop wondering what could have happened. A few minutes later she arrived. After parking her car and taking Charlie out, she made her way to the shop. As she got closer, she could see Ashlyn talking to a police officer. 

 

She quickly approached them, still not sure what was going on. 

 

“Ash, What happened?”

 

Ashlyn didn't say anything, she just nodded her head towards the shop. Tobin turned around and noticed the glass windows were broken and there was graffiti on the outside of the shop walls.

 

“When and how did this happen?” Tobin questioned, turning her attention back to Ashlyn and the police officer.

 

“It must have been in the early hours. When I got here, I noticed this mess,” Ashlyn said, waving towards the shop.

 

“When you arrived, did you see anything? Or anyone?” the police officer asked.

 

“No, there wasn't anyone here. I was the first one to come in this morning. We usually open late on Saturday’s so, I didn't come in earlier.”

 

The office nods and jolts down some notes. “Why don't you too have a look inside and see if anything was taken. Just don't touch anything.”

 

The two women nodded and entered the shop. They looked around and didn't see anything out of place. As they went towards the cash register, they noticed it was still locked. Tobin went around the front of the shop, while Ashlyn went towards the back, trying to see if anything was missing. 

 

As Tobin made her way towards the front window to check out the surfboards, she noticed a piece of paper stilling on the ground next to the shattered glass. She bent down and tilted her head to read what it said. 

 

_ I told you to watch out.  _

 

Tobin quickly took a step back, not noticing the boxes behind her. She stumbled to the ground, into the shattered glass. 

 

“Tobin are you Ok?” Ashlyn said, running towards Tobin. 

 

Tobin didn't say anything. Her mind was spinning. 

 

“Ms. Heath are you Ok?” the police officer asked. Tobin didn't say anything, but pointed towards the note. The police officer looked over at the note. She asked one of the other officers to take a picture of it. She then put on gloves and picked up the note, reading it. 

 

“Do you know what this is about?” she said, turning around towards Tobin and Ashlyn.

 

Tobin gained her composure and finally spoke up. “The phone call.”

 

“What phone call?”

 

“My girlfriend, Alex. She’s been getting calls from an unknown number.”

 

“And?”

 

“I took the phone from her and told the person to stop calling. I was about to hang up, but the voice said  _ watch out.”  _

 

“Have you made a complaint about this?”

 

“Yes, we did.”

 

“Alright. We will look into it. What is your girlfriend’s last name?”

 

“Morgan, Alex Morgan.”

 

The officer wrote that down in her notepad. “Did you guys find anything missing? Anything out of the ordinary?”

 

Both of the women shook their heads. “Everything looks fine. Doesn’t look like anything was taken,” Ashlyn said.

 

The officer nods her head. “We will complete our investigation. We’ll have someone come by and board up the broken windows. If we need any more information we will contact you.”

 

Tobin gets up with the help of Ashlyn and make their way outside. Tobin made her way over to where she had tied up Charlie. She leans down and pats him. Tobin was a bit shaken up, but she knew she had to be strong. 

 

“What the hell does this person want?” Ashlyn exclaimed, sitting down next to Charlie. 

 

“I don’t know,” Tobin said, taking a seat next to Charlie as well. 

 

“Are you sure you're fine?”

 

“Just shaken up a little, but I’m fine,” she said, looking down at her legs and noticing some glass debris in the sides of her legs. She picks them out, causing a few cuts to bleed. 

 

They sit there in silence and watch as the police complete the investigation. Soon, a few men come with big wooden boards to help close off the broken windows. 

 

“You ladies can go home now. We will have the shop monitored for the rest of the day. We know this was a deliberate act, considering the note and that nothing was taken. We will take extra measures to figure out who is behind this. In the meantime, please stay safe. Always have someone with you or tell someone where you are, if you are alone. If we get more information regarding this, we will contact you. Please be safe,” the police officer says before she leaves. 

 

Tobin and Ashlyn get up and walk towards their cars. Tobin opens the passenger side door and lifts Charlie into it. 

 

“Don’t worry about today, Tobs. We will figure something out. I will look into getting the glass windows fixed and will get someone to paint the graffiti,” Ashlyn says, pulling Tobin into a hug, “I think it was time to get that new paint job,” Ashlyn says, causing Tobin to chuckle a little. 

 

“Thanks, Ash.”

 

“No problem, Buddy. I’m always here for you,” she said, letting go of the shorter girl. “Now, you go home and play with Char. I know you've missed him a lot. I will call you if something comes up.”

 

Tobin nods her head and closes the passenger door. She walks over to her driver’s side and gets in. She backs up the car and waves out to Ashlyn before leaving. Tobin checks her clock and realizes she has plenty of time before Alex comes over. So, she decided to take Charlie to the park. 

—

 

Alex had gone home and showered. She quickly got dressed and made her way to Allie’s house, since they were going to meet up there before heading out to get lunch. She arrived to Allie’s house and was quickly ushered into the house. Allie dragged her into the living room area where she noticed Syd sitting on the couch.

 

“What’s going on?” Alex said, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“Sit,” Allie says, pushing Alex to the couch. Alex sat down and looked at the two women. 

 

“Spill,” Allie said, crossing her arms.

 

“What?”

 

“Girl, you’re glowing!” Syd, exclaims. 

 

“They totally fucked,” Allie says, smirking. 

 

“You guys, what is this?”

 

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Tobin. Is she replacing us? Is she your new best friend?” Allie questioned. 

 

“What, no. She’s not replacing you guys. We aren't best friends.”

 

“Then what are you?” Syd questioned.

 

Alex blushed. “She’s not my best friend because she’s my girlfriend.”

 

The two other girls squealed. Allie quickly came over to Alex and hugged her. “About time. That girl is a hottie.” 

 

Allie sat down in front of Alex wanting to hear all the details about their relationship. Alex told them everything, including the mysterious phone calls. They spent an hour at Allie’s house talking before finally deciding to go out for lunch. When they were finished they made their way back to Allie’s house. 

 

“I’m so happy for you, Al,” Allie said, as Alex hugged her goodbye.

 

“I am too,” Syd said, also giving Alex a hug.

 

“Thanks guys. It really means alot to me, knowing you guys support me and our relationship.”

 

“How can we not, I mean look at her,” Allie responds. 

 

The girls laugh and Alex goes home to change before heading out to Tobin’s. When she arrived home, she noticed a text message. 

 

**Tobin: Hey. Hope you had a good time with the girls. When you come over tonight, bring over some sleepwear.**

 

**Alex: Is everything ok?**

 

**Tobin: I don’t want to be alone tonight.**

 

**Alex: Ok. I’ll be there in a few. See you soon.**

 

Alex was confused, but didn't think much of it. She went and changed into jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing some things for the night. She packed a small bag and checked the house before leaving. 

—

 

Alex parked her car and picked up her bag before walking towards the front door. She knocked at the door and waited for Tobin to open it. But, after a few knocks she didn't get a response. She was about to call Tobin but could hear some sounds coming from the backyard. So, she made her way over to to the back. We she got to the back, she noticed Tobin kicking the ball towards Charlie. Alex smiled when Charlie lay there and didn't acknowledge the ball. 

 

“Come on, Char,” she heard Tobin say. Charlie didn't budge, so Tobin went over and got the ball. 

 

“If Charlie doesn't want to play, I will,” Alex said, walking towards the two. Tobin turns around and smiles.

 

“Sorry, you must have been waiting at the front. I got caught up,” Tobin says, rubbing the back of her neck.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Alex said, coming closer to Tobin and pecking her on the lips.

 

“I missed you,” Tobin says, holding Alex’s hands. 

 

“I missed you too,” Alex said, leaning in again. 

 

“Let’s go inside, Char’s not in the mood to play,” Tobin said, pouting towards Charlie. 

 

Tobin and Alex walk back to the porch and to the house. Charlie sees them leave and he runs towards them. Tobin laughs. “Now you can run.”

—

 

Tobin ordered some pizza for them, so they sat on the couch and waited. 

 

“Want some water?” Tobin asks as she gets up from the couch.

 

“I’m good,” Alex says, watching Tobin walk back to the kitchen. As she watches her go to the kitchen, she notices a red stain on the side of her shirt. Alex gets up and walks towards the kitchen. She reaches the tan woman and picks up the hem of her shirt, startling Tobin.

 

“You scared me,” Tobin says, turning to face Alex.

 

“Turn around.”

 

Tobin looks at her confused, but does so anyway. Alex reaches down and lifts the corner of Tobin’s shirt where the stain was located. She notices a cut on the side of her back. She lifts a finger and runs it across. 

 

“What happened?” Alex asked. Tobin turns around and faces Alex. She knew she had to tell her about the incident at the shop. Tobin grabs her hand and lead her to the couch. They sit down and Tobin doesn't say anything for a few seconds.

 

“I’m getting worried,” Alex says, reaching for Tobin’s hand. “Is everything ok?”

 

Tobin sighs, “There was an incident at the shop today,” she said, using the other hand to run it through her hair. 

 

“What happened?”

 

“Someone broke the front windows and graffitied the walls. They didn't take anything…”

 

“But?” Alex says, noticing Tobin was leaving something out. 

 

“I found a note.”

 

Alex looks at her and waits for her to continue. 

 

“The note said  _ I told you to watch out, _ ” Tobin finally says. She looks over at Alex and notices the fear in her eyes. 

 

“The police are looking into this. They will find out who is behind this,” Tobin says, wrapping her arm around Alex, pulling her close. 

 

“What if they don’t,” Alex says in a whisper. 

 

“They will,” Tobin said, running her hand through Alex’s hair. 

 

“I’m so scared.”

 

“Don’t be. I’m here. I won’t let anyone touch you.”

 

Alex wrapped her arms around Tobin and pulled the girl closer. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

A few minutes later after just holding each other close, they hear a knock on the door. 

 

“Pizza guy,” Tobin says, getting up and opening the door to get the pizza. She pays for and it takes it over to the kitchen. Alex walks into the kitchen and sits down on the stool. Tobin hands her a plate and sits down next to her, grabbing some pizza. They eat in silence and when Tobin finishes, she grabs Charlie’s bowl and fills it. Charlie comes into the kitchen and eats. 

 

After cleaning up the kitchen they sit down on the couch to watch a movie, so they could focus on something else. Alex couldn't concentrate on the movie. She was still thinking about the incident. She was blaming herself for the incident. Whoever did this was connected to her. She didn't want Tobin to be in the middle of this. She didn't want her to get hurt again. She didn't want Tobin to be at risk because of her. 

 

Tobin looked over at Alex and noticed she was having an internal battle. She had a feeling what it was about.

 

“Stop blaming yourself,” Tobin says, which causes Alex to quickly snap her head towards her. “I know you're probably blaming yourself right now, but I hope you now that I don't blame you. I want to be there for you. So, please stop.”

 

Alex nods her head slowly. “I’m so sorry, Tobin.”

 

Tobin smiles. “Don’t be sorry. I love you and I will do anything to protect you. So, please don't cut me out, tell me how you feel and we will work together on this.”

 

Alex nods her head again. “I love you too,” she says, leaning up and kissing Tobin on the lips.

 

Alex snuggled in closer to Tobin and held her close. She just wanted all of this to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting interesting?


	14. She's Mine

“Who does Tobin think she is? Does she believe she can be Alex’s girlfriend,” a man said, sitting in his chair in a dark bedroom. He got up from his chair and moved towards the wall and ran a hand over a few pictures of Alex Morgan. 

 

“You, Alex, have replaced my Kara. She was taken too soon, but I found you. You belong to me,” he said, leaning in close to an oversized picture of Alex. “You are mine, just like Kara. You don't belong to Tobin. You have no idea what I’ve done to get this close to you. I can’t let this Tobin ruin us.” 

 

The man stood back a little and examined his wall that had pictures of Alex all over. There were pictures of Alex running, Alex at the beach, with her friends, Alex with Tobin at the restaurant, at the Santa Monica Pier, at Tobin’s surf shop, pictures of them at the police station, pictures of Alex’s car at Tobin’s house. 

 

“Kara was the love of my life, but she was taken away from me. She fell in love with someone else. She left me because she fell out of love with me. Do you know who she fell in love with? Your fucking fiancé. She fell in love with him, but he didn’t. He broke her heart and she broke mine,” the man says, going back to his chair and leaning back, still staring at the pictures. 

 

“Servando never loved Kara. She was heartbroken, especially when she found out he died in a bombing. She left me…I just made sure she left me for good,” he said, smirking. “Don’t worry, Alex, I will never hurt you like Kara. I will always love you.”

 

He got up and walked over to the wall again. “If anyone interferes with us, I will ruin them. Poor Tobin, she has no idea that her brother didn't commit suicide. He was killed…by me.” He walks over to a picture of Jeff Heath and Servando. “Ah- poor guy, he didn't know that helping his friend by telling Alex about me was going to ruin him. He never saw it coming.” He begins to walk back and forth. “Who would have thought that Tobin and you would ever meet. I was shocked when I found out Tobin was Jeff’s sister. Looks like there will be another tragedy to hit the Heath’s family.”

 

He walks over to a picture of Tobin and Alex. “Now, this one needs to go,” he said, taking a marker and placing an ‘X’ on Tobin’s face. 

__

 

The next morning, Alex begins to stir from the bed Tobin and her had shared. Without opening her eyes, she turns and reaches out. She feels the coldness of the bed and opens her eyes. Tobin wasn't in bed. She slightly got up, rubbing the sleep in her eyes and looked around the room. She got up from the bed, picking up her shirt from last night and putting in on. She went around and found Tobin’s shorts. She put those on and made her way out of the bedroom. 

 

“Shh...Char, you’ll wake her up,” she heard Tobin say. Alex quietly made her way down the hallway and peeked inside the kitchen. Tobin was wearing boxers and a t-shirt, with her hair in a messy bun. She was leaning over the stove, making some breakfast. She saw Charlie sitting by Tobin’s feet. 

 

Tobin turned around and almost tripped over Charlie. “Char, move over,” she said, sighing when Charlie looked at her and began tugging at her feet. Tobin reached down and petted Charlie. “I love you, Char,” she said, placing a kiss on his head. 

 

Alex decided to make her presence known, so she walked into the kitchen. 

 

“You’re up? I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” Tobin said, noticing Alex enter the kitchen. 

 

“That’s very sweet of you, but you didn't have too. We could have made it together,” Alex replied, walking towards Tobin.

 

“Well, it’s already done. So let's eat, cause I’m starving,” she said with a big smile. Alex went up to Tobin and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Good morning.” 

 

“Good morning, Al,” Tobin said, leaning in and returning the kiss. She picked up the plates and placed them on the table. “Come, I’m hungry.” Alex smiled and sat down.

 

“Thank you,” Alex said, as she ate her breakfast. Tobin smiled and nodded at her since her mouth was full with food. 

—

 

After finishing their breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, they decided to get ready for the day. 

 

“So, what are your plans for today?” Alex asked, as she sat down next to Charlie in the living room. 

 

“Well, I was thinking of going back to the shop and cleaning it up a bit,” Tobin said, sitting down next to Alex on the couch. 

 

“Do you want me to come with you? I can help you clean up. This is my mess,” she said, placing a hand on Tobin’s thigh.

 

“This isn't your fault. Stop saying that.” 

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Tobin said, placing her hand on top of Alex’s. “Can you watch Charlie? I was going to play at the beach with him after cleaning. So, could you watch him while I clean?”

 

“Of course. I’ll ask the girls to come by, if you don't mind.”

 

“No, go ahead. Invite them over,” Tobin said, smiling.

—

 

Tobin drove the three of them to the surf shop. They got out of the Jeep hand in hand, with Charlie on a leash. As they approached the shop, they saw Lauren and Kelly standing outside with Ashlyn. 

 

“What are you guys doing here?” Tobin said, as she came closer to them. 

 

Lauren turned around. “Why didn't you call me?,” she asked with a stern face.

 

“I’m sorry, Lauren. I didn't want to worry you.”

 

“Tobin, I’m your friend. Best friend,” she clarified.

 

“I’m sorry,” Tobin said, leaning in and giving her a hug. 

 

“That’s better. Now, let's get this place fixed up.”

 

Tobin smiled and let go of Lauren, looking towards Kelly she chuckled. “Come here you goof,” Tobin said, reaching out and hugging her. 

 

“I’m your best friend too, Tobs. Don’t leave me out.”

 

“I won’t,” she said, pulling back. 

 

Tobin turned around and noticed Alex standing there with Charlie. “Lauren, Kelly,” she said, getting their attention. “You remember Alex, right?” 

 

“Of course we do, Tobin. How can we forget her. You talk about her all the time,” Lauren said, walking over towards Alex and giving her a hug. 

 

“Hi Lauren,” Alex said, returning the hug. 

 

“Not all the time,” Tobin lets out. Kelly laughed, “Yes, you do.” 

 

“So, I learned you guys are a thing now,” Lauren said, nudging Alex’s shoulder, causing her to blush. “I’m happy for you guys.”

 

“Enough about us. Why don't you and Alex go out on the beach with Charlie. Ash, Kelly and I will clean up inside,” Tobin proposed, but Kelly objected. “Why do I have to help clean? Why not Lauren?” 

 

“Because, I don't want Lauren to hurt herself and the baby. Plus, you could you some exercise. I heard you've been slacking off.”

 

“Ok, fine,” Kelly groaned, turning around and heading inside the shop. 

 

“Alright, come here Charlie,” Lauren said, taking the leash from Alex’s hand and walking him down the beach. Alex watched them and turned to Tobin, who was looking right at her. 

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing. You’re just so beautiful,” Tobin admitted. 

 

Alex blushed and walked towards Tobin. She placed a hand on Tobin’s cheek and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. “I should go. If you need help, let me know.” 

 

Tobin smiled and leaned in one more time. “You guys have some fun.” 

 

Alex moved back, slowly moving her hand out of Tobin’s. She smiled back and continued walking towards Lauren and Charlie. Tobin smiled and went inside the surf shop. As she entered, she noticed the mess in the front of the shop. There was glass shattered everywhere. There wasn't much further inside the shop. So, she grabbed a broom and began to help Kelly and Ash sweep up the glass. They moved from sweeping to replacing the surfboards that were at the front. They went through everything to make sure there wasn't any glass pieces in or on the products in their shop. They thoroughly check the shop and when they were confident that they had cleaned everything, they went into the back of the shop to reward themselves with a beer.

 

“So, did the police say anything? Did they find out who did this?” Kelly asked, as she sat down on the bench. 

 

“No, they don't have enough information or evidence to know who did this and why,” Ashlyn replied, taking a sip of her beer. 

 

“Tobs, do you have any idea?”

 

“No clue. All I know is that whoever did this wants to mess with Alex,” she said, taking a drink from her beer. 

 

“Why attack you, though? If this is about Alex?” Kelly questioned. 

 

“Maybe because they know Alex has feelings for me. Whoever this is might be targeting me because Alex and I are together. But, I can’t be for sure. I just hope this all stops,” Tobin answered. 

 

“Hopefully, the police will be able to help and get this all settled,” Ashlyn chimed in. 

 

“I hope so too.”

—

 

“What are you girls laughing about?” Ashlyn questioned, as she approached the other girls down by the beach with Kelly and Tobin behind her. 

 

“Oh, Lauren was telling us the story about you guys surfing and how Kelly thought there was a shark,” Allie says, laughing. 

 

“Oh- that was so funny. You should have seen Kelly’s face when she realized it was just a small fish,” Tobin said, laughing. Kelly pushes Tobin to the side, “That was a scary moment. I thought it was a damn shark.” 

 

“Are you guys finished?” Alex asked.

 

“Everything is good to go. We just need the glass windows repaired and the walls painted. But, everything inside is clean,” Ashlyn responded, taking a seat in the sand with the rest of the girls. 

 

“That’s good to hear. You guys will have it up and running in no time,” Lauren said, gesturing Tobin to sit down next to her. Tobin complies and sits down next to her. Lauren puts an arm around Tobin’s shoulders. “Now, I want you to call me if you need anything. Don’t be hiding things from me, cause I have my ways to find out. I even coaxed Alex to give me her number.”

 

“I promise, if anything comes up, I will call you myself. I just don't want you to worry. You’ll be having a baby soon and that’s a lot to deal with.” Tobin said, playing with the ring on her finger. 

 

“Tobin, I want you to share things with me. I’m your friend and I will always be there for you. Whether you like or not,” Lauren replied, smiling. 

 

“Thank you,” Tobin said, hugging her. 

 

“So, are you guys hungry? Cause I’m starving and Tobin didn't let me have another beer,” Kelly questioned, looking at all the girls.

 

“I can go for some food,” Ashlyn said. 

 

“Same,” Allie replied. 

 

“Do you guys want to head out for some dinner? There’s a pizza shop nearby,” Sydney asked.

 

“That sounds great!” Kelly exclaimed. 

 

They all agreed to go to the pizza shop to have an early dinner. They decided to walk there since it was just a fifteen minute walk. As they walked towards the shop, they saw a familiar man walking down the same street. 

 

“Hi guys,” Ryan said, as he got closer to them. 

 

“Hey, Ryan. How’s it going?” Sydney replied. 

 

“Nothing much, just finished a meeting and now heading back home. Need to catch a flight tomorrow morning,” he said, looking towards Tobin and Alex, noticing they were holding hands. “What about you guys? Having a girls night out?” he said, looking around at all the women.

 

“Yes, we were just at Tobin’s shop, now we are headed for some dinner.”

 

“I heard about your shop. Hopefully there wasn't a lot of damage.”

 

“Just some broken windows and graffiti. It’ll be fixed soon,” Tobin answered. 

 

“That’s good,” he said, smiling. “Alright, I should get going. Have a great night.”

 

“Bye Ryan,” Sydney said. He smiled and walked past them. 

 

“Who was that?” Kelly asked. 

 

“He just a friend and a realtor. He’s been helping Alex find a store,” Sydney answered, as they continued walking towards the pizza shop. 

—

 

After they ate pizza they made their way back to the parking lot by the surf shop. They all said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Alex stayed back with Tobin and Charlie. After talking to Ashlyn for a few minutes, Tobin made her way and sat in the Jeep.

 

“Sorry, for taking so long. Ash was just filling me in on when the repair guys were coming in,” Tobin said, buckling up her seat belt. 

 

“Tobin, you don't need to apologize,” Alex said, reaching over and placing her hand on her thigh. “If you need anything, please let me know. I’m here to help too.”

 

“Thanks, Al.”

 

“No worries.”

 

“Do you want to grab some ice cream on the way back? I’m kinda craving some,” Tobin confessed. 

 

“Heck yes,” Alex said with a big smile.. Tobin looked over at her and gave her signature smile. She leaned in and Alex did the same. They shared a soft kiss. “Thank you for being here with me.”

 

“There’s no where else I would rather be,” Tobin said, leaning in one more time before driving towards the ice cream shop. 

 

—

 

They finally arrived home after getting some ice cream. Tobin went to the kitchen to fill a bowl up for Charlie. She watched as he munched all of the food and licked the bowl clean. Charlie looked up at her and gave her a look, Tobin noticed what he was hinting at. “Char, you can’t be eating so much. But, since you did have a long day today, I’ll give you a few extra bites,” she said, taking out some more dog food and putting it in the bowl. “Just don't tell Mommy about this.”

 

After he had finished, Charlie made his way to his bed which was in the living room. He got comfortable and just like that he went to sleep.

 

“Wow. Charlie sleeps a lot,” Alex said, laughing a little as she watched Charlie snooze away from the couch. 

 

“He loves to eat, sleep, and sometimes play,” Tobin replied, walking into the living room with two cups of hot chocolate. 

 

“He did have a long day today, so I guess it’s okay,” Alex said, taking the hot chocolate from Tobin. 

 

“I’m going to miss him,” Tobin admitted, looking over to where Charlie was asleep. 

 

“When is he going back?”

 

“Christen was supposed to pick him up at the shop tomorrow, but I will have to tell her to come by here to get him.”

 

Alex nodded her head. They sat there in silence drinking their hot chocolate and watching Charlie. Alex decided to ask Tobin about Christen. She just wanted to know what happened and why they broke up. 

 

“Do you mind if I ask?” she asked, hesitantly. 

 

“About?” Tobin asked, turning and looking towards Alex.

 

“You and Christen. Why did you guys break up?” she mumbled, softly. 

 

Tobin sighed softly. She placed her cup on the coffee table where Alex had placed hers a few moments ago. Tobin shifted herself on the couch and motioned Alex to lay down with her. Tobin placed an arm around Alex and stroked her hair. Alex laid her head on Tobin’s chest, listening to her beating heart. 

 

“We broke up because I was a bad wife,” Tobin started, “when my brother passed away, I began to push people away from me. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to find answers. I began to change. I wasn't that happy and loving Tobin anymore. I was angry, frustrated, and broken. Christen was supportive and never said anything to me. I was terrible. I would pick fights with her for small reasons. I would push her away and close her out. I wouldn't share anything with her. I realized one day that I was stopping her from achieving her goals. I couldn't be that person. When I married her, I promised to never come in her ways to achieve her goals and that I will always support her. One day, I raised my hand at her. I was shocked by my actions and so was she. I had frightened her. So, I decided it was best to let her go. We separated for a few months and mutually decided it was best if we divorced. I want nothing but the best for her. I just wasn't the one. I don’t regret our relationship and will always have a place in my heart for her. She’ll always be my friend. But, deep inside of me, I came to realize that Christen and I were just not meant to be.”

 

As Tobin was talking about her relationship with Christen, Alex comforted her by running her hand up and down Tobin’s arm. When Tobin finished talking, Alex hugged her. “Thank you for telling me. I know it must be tough for you.” 

 

Tobin hugged Alex back and they lay there for a few minutes. “I love you,” Tobin said, softly. 

 

“I love you too,” Alex replied. 

 

They decided to watch a movie before heading off to bed. Tobin quickly texted Christen that she would have to come by the house to pick up Charlie. She told her she could drop by anytime since she would be home the entire day. 

 

Tobin made her way into the bedroom after getting a glass of water. As she entered she saw Alex sitting up and on her phone. Tobin smiled. Alex looked up and noticed Tobin standing by the bedroom door, smiling at her. 

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Nothing. Just really happy to see you in my bed,” Tobin admitted, walking towards the bed. She placed the water on the nightstand. She crawled into the bed. Alex put her phone away and did the same. Tobin wrapped her arms around the taller woman. “I can get used to this.” 

 

“Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m probably going to be staying here for this one night and going back tomorrow,” Alex said, noticing Tobin’s smile turning slightly into a frown. “It’s not that I don't want to be here with you, I’m going back to work on Tuesday.”

 

“So, I only have you for tonight.”

 

“Yes, so you might want to take advantage of that,” she said with a mischievous smile. 

 

“I should, shouldn't I?” Tobin replied, smirking. 

 

“That’s all in your hands. Have any ideas what you may want to do?” Alex asked, smirking back. 

  
Tobin leaned in closer and kissed Alex with passion. Tobin rolled them over, so she was hovering on top of her. “I may have an idea,” she answered, leaning down and kissing her again. Needless to say, they didn't sleep until much later that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting for a while. Leave a comment below and let me know if you guys are still interested in the story. Thanks for the support!


	15. It's Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating after so long. I've been busy with exams!

Alex was up before Tobin the next morning. She smiled feeling Tobin’s arm loosely circled around Alex’s waist. Alex turns around to face Tobin and watches the tan woman sleep. She looks down at Tobin’s slightly chapped lips and stroked her hair. Not being able to control herself anymore, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. She leaned in again and before she could pull away, she felt a hand behind her neck pulling her closer.

 

“Good morning,” Tobin said, her voice raspy from the sleep.

 

“Mmm…Good morning,” Alex said, leaning in one more time. As they were getting into the kiss, they heard Charlie bark. They broke apart and Tobin sat up. “I better see what he wants,” she said, getting up and changing into a pair of short and a t-shirt. Alex got up as well and went towards the bathroom as Tobin left the room.

 

Charlie was still barking as Tobin approached him. He was by the sliding porch door, looking into the backyard. Tobin knelt down next to him and tried to calm him down. “What’s wrong Char?” Charlie pawed against the porch door, so Tobin got up and opened it. Once it was open, Charlie made a beeline towards the back of the yard, towards the bushes. Tobin was confused. Charlie had never acted like this before and watching him run towards the back of the yard towards the bushes made her uneasy. She walked down from the porch and made her way towards Charlie. She stood behind him and scanned the bushes. She didn't see anything, but as Charlie moved closer to one specific area, she saw something. Charlie stopped barking when Tobin stepped forward to the spot he was barking at. She knelt down and looked at the object. It was a small paper with something wrapped inside of it. She opened the note and saw a ring. She read the note. _Did you love her?_ Tobin scrambled backwards.

 

“Tobin what are you doing?” Alex called out from the porch. When Tobin didn't reply, she walked towards the two.

 

“Tobin, what’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling beside her.

 

Tobin didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say or do. Alex noticed a note and ring in Tobin’s hand. She reached over and grabbed the note. She read it, but was still a bit confused.

 

“Tobin, what does this mean?” Alex asked, confused. Tobin doesn't say anything for a moment. Alex rubs Tobin’s arm trying to comfort her, still confused with what the note and ring meant.

 

“It’s Christen’s,” she mumbled out.

 

“What is?”

 

“This ring. It’s Christen’s. The ring. The one I got her,” she said, sternly. Tobin got up quickly, and began to pace back and forth. Alex looked up from her spot, still processing what Tobin had just said.

 

“He went to her house. He knows who Christen is…was to me.”

 

Alex got up and walked towards Tobin. She stepped in front of her to stop her from pacing. Tobin stops in her tracks and Alex notices the fear in her eyes.

 

“Alex, whoever this is knows everything about us,” she whispers, leaning her forehead against Alex’s. “I need to call Christen. She’s in danger too.” Alex nods her head and Tobin moves back, walking towards the house. Alex watches her go back to the house. She felt bad for having Tobin and now Christen get dragged into this mess. Whoever was stalking her is dangerous and she can’t see Tobin get hurt. She had to do something about this before it got too late. She needs to leave. Alex looked at Charlie, who was sitting beside her. She started to make her way back to the house, calling Charlie to follow her.

 

“Chris, I need you to come by right now. It’s important. Come straight here. Don’t go home first. I’ll explain later,” Tobin said, as Alex made her way into the house. She watched Tobin pace back and forth in the kitchen. “Don’t worry, Charlie is fine. Just come over and we will talk…Ok, see you in 15.” Tobin disconnects the line and sits down on the stool. Alex comes up behind her and hugs her.

 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers. Tobin relaxes in her touch. She turns around to face Alex.

 

“Don’t say sorry. This isn't your fault.”

 

“It is. This is all happening because of me. Now, Christen is getting dragged into this mess,” she says, tears at the brink of her eyes.

 

“Al, I love you. I will do anything to protect you,” Tobin says, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist and puling her close.

 

“I can’t let you do that.”

 

“I’ll do it anyway.”

 

Alex leans back and looks down at Tobin. “I love you,” she says, leaning down and softly kissing Tobin on the lips. They got lost in the kiss and almost didn’t hear the knock at the door. After a hard knock, they break apart. Tobin gets up and makes her way to the front door.

 

“Hey,” Tobin says, opening the door and giving Christen a quick hug.

 

“Tobin, what is going on? Why did you need me to come here first?” Christen asks, as she enters the house. She walks towards the living room and notices a woman standing near the entrance of the kitchen. Tobin walks towards Christen and motions Alex to come over.

 

“This is Alex,” Tobin says, standing beside Alex. “She’s uh- she’s my girlfriend.”

 

Christen nods her head and gives a small smile. “I’m Christen.”

 

“Alex,” she says, sticking out her hand for her to shake, which she does.

 

“Why did you need me to come here right away?”

 

“Sit. There’s a lot to tell you,” Tobin says. Christen notices the worry in Tobin’s face. She nods her head and sits, waiting for them to do the same. Tobin explains everything to Christen, about the stalking, the shop, and the ring. Tobin hands the ring to Christen. She sits there and examines it before speaking. “He broke into my house while I was away?”

 

“Probably. Which is why I didn't want you go to into the house alone,” Tobin says, gently patting Christen’s thigh. “I will call the police and they will deal with this.” Christen doesn't say anything and sits there stunned by all the information Tobin had just told her.

 

“I’m sorry, Christen,” Alex lets out softly.

 

Christen turns her head towards her. “Alex, you don't have to apologize. This isn't your fault.”

 

“It is my fault and I can’t sit here knowing he’s hurting the people I care about,” she says, getting up from the couch. “I need to go.”

 

Alex goes into Tobin’s bedroom and packs her stuff. As leaves the bedroom, she's met with Tobin in the hallway.

 

“Alex, what are you doing? I told you that we are going to deal with this together,” Tobin said, reaching for Alex’s arm.

 

“I don’t deserve you. I can’t let this person take you down with me,” she said, moving out of Tobin’s grip and walking towards the front door. Christen watches the two from the couch.

 

“Alex, wait,” Tobin calls out, as she watches Alex leave the front door. Alex doesn't turn back and goes to her car. Tobin runs out to the car. “Alex, please. Don’t do this. I love you.” Alex pulls out of the driveway and leaves. Tobin watches the car go and a few moments later she goes back into the house. Christen was standing near the couch. She walks over and pulls Tobin into a hug. “You love her, don’t you,” she says. Tobin nods her head and lets a few tears stream down her face.

—

 

“You just left her there with her ex?” Allie says, handing a cup of coffee to Alex. She didn't want to go home, so she called Allie and asked if she could come over.

 

“I had too,” Alex huffed.

 

“Alex, you don't always have to fight your battles alone. Sometimes you need help.”

 

“Not if the person you love is getting hurt in the process.”

 

“She loves you Al. She’s going to protect you, even if that means she gets hurt in the process. You know she will do anything for you.”

 

“I know. But, it’s getting out of hand. Whoever this person is went to her ex’s house and got the ring. He could do anything to anyone,” she said, running a hand through her hair.

 

“Alex, you can be so stubborn.”

—

 

Tobin called an investigator and had told them what had happened. They came over to the house and went through the bushes in the backyard. They didn't find anything, but took pictures of the note and ring. Next, they went over to Christen’s apartment. Nothing was stolen, except for the ring. Everything was clear. Christen was allowed to go back to the apartment, but she wanted to stay with a friend. She was scared to stay home alone. Tobin offered her to stay at the house, but she refused, saying it was best she stayed with a friend. The police told them that they would keep an eye out and make sure someone is on patrol around their area at all times. Christen drives Tobin back home to drop her off and pick up Charlie.

 

“Sorry for getting you caught up in this,” Tobin says, as they enter the house.

 

“Tobin, don’t be sorry. This isn’t your fault.”

 

“I know, but this isn't fair to you.”

 

“Nothing’s fair in life, Tobin.”

 

Tobin nods her head and walks over to Charlie. Kneeling down next to him, she gives him a hug. “Thanks to you, Char, we found that ring. I’ll miss you.” Tobin puts on the leash and walks him towards Christen, handing her the leash.

 

“If you need anything, please call.”

 

“I will,” Christen says, turning and walking towards the door. She pauses and turns around, “And Tobin, go get your girl.” Tobin smiles and nods her head. 

—

 

Tobin called and texted Alex but got no response. So, she texted Allie to make sure Alex was safe.

 

**Tobin: Hi Allie. I was wondering if you heard from Alex.**

**Allie: Don’t worry. She’s staying with me. She’s asleep right now.**

**Tobin: Please take care of her.**

**Allie: Always.**

Tobin sighed in relief, now knowing Alex was safe. She went towards the bedroom to change into some jeans and shirt. She needed to get out. She needed a drink. She called Kelly and asked if she wanted to tag along.

 

**Tobin: Wanna get a drink?**

**Kelly: Sure. What’s the occasion?**

**Tobin: Just need to clear my head.**

**Kelly: You okay?**

**Tobin: Meet me at the usual in 30.**

**Kelly: See you soon.**

—

 

“So, she just left?” Kelly asks, as Tobin finished telling what had happened this morning.

 

“Yup,” Tobin said, taking a swig of her beer.

 

“You need to do something.”

 

“Like what? The police aren't telling us shit. I don't know what to do.”

 

“Well, do you suspect anyone?”

 

“No. I don't know a lot of the people Alex knows. Just her best friends and a few others.”

 

“What about that dude we met when we all went for some dinner…Bryan?”

 

“Ryan?”

 

“Yeah. What about him?”

 

Tobin sat there as Kelly finished off her beer. Tobin’s mind began to ponder. She thought back to all the encounters with him and how he wanted to date Alex. She knew that he still had feelings for her, but it can’t be him. Can it?

 

“Tobs?” Kelly’s says, nudging the girl.

 

“What?”

 

“Everything okay?”

 

“It’s fine. I need to go home.” Kelly nods her head and 15 minutes later they leave. They took a taxi and when it approached Tobin’s house, Kelly spoke. “If you need anything or want to come stay at my place, let me know. I’m here for you.”

 

“Thanks, Kel. But, I’m good. Thanks for coming tonight,” Tobin says with a smile, getting out of the taxi.

 

“Anytime.”

—

 

Tobin got back home and sat on the couch. She kept thinking about Ryan. Something about him made her uncomfortable. She pulled out her phone and noticed Alex hadn't texted back. Sighing she places the phone on the coffee table. A few moments after lying on the couch she remembered something. She got up and retrieved the letter that she found in the box of Jeff’s things. She went back to the couch and sat down. She ran her fingers across the scribbled out name, ‘ _Serv.’_

She opened up the letter carefully and began to read it.

 

_My Alex,_

_If you are reading this letter it means that I didn't make it back to you. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for having you go through all of this. I’m sorry for promising that I would come back to you. I’m sorry for breaking your heart. I hope you know that I will always love you. No matter where I end up, I will always love you. I never loved anyone as much as I loved you. I want to thank you for loving me, for saving me, for helping me. Thank you for being you. I hope you have found peace and have moved forward. I hope you find love again. I want you to be happy. I want you to smile. I want you to live. So, please do that for me. Smile for me._

_I know I’ve caused you pain and this letter may cause more, but I want you to know that I only loved you and always will. There is something that I haven’t told you. I never wanted to tell you because I didn't want to cause any trouble, I didn't want you to worry. However, it is important that you know about this because I fear it will all go out of hand._

_I met a woman, Kara. I had gotten to know her and only considered her as a friend. I told her I was seeing someone and was not interested in her. I thought she understood, but a few weeks later I received threatening calls from her husband. He told me that Kara was in love with me and that she wanted to leave him to be with me. I told him that I was clear with Kara, that I was seeing someone else. She was crazy and he was too. He was angry with me for taking Kara away from him. He threatened to take you away from me. I was so scared. I asked Kara to meet me. I told her that I couldn’t be with her because I loved someone else. I told her what her husband would do if she continued to contact me. A few weeks later, the messages and calls stopped. But, one day I received an email and I knew it had to be from her husband. He threatened that if anything ever happened to him and Kara, I was to blame. I didn't hear back from him or her again._

_If something ever happens, I know for a fact he will come after you. I’m sorry, Alex. I’m so sorry. I should have told you, but I didn't want you to worry. I’m sorry that I can’t be there to protect you. I’m sorry for leaving you alone. I want you to be careful. If anything unusual happens, it might be because of him. I never caught his name. Just be careful of the people around you, those who befriend you, those that try to date you. He can be amongst you without you even knowing it. Be careful. Please._

_I have asked my friend, Jeff, to take this letter and give it to you or send it out to you._

_I hope you can forgive me._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Servando C._

Tobin had tears in her eyes. Could this Alex be _her_ Alex? She quickly got off the couch and picked up her phone. She called Alex. It rang a couple times, she was about to disconnect the phone, but she heard Alex.

 

“Tobin.”

 

“Alex. I need to talk to you.”

 

“Tobin,” she whispers.

 

“What’s wrong? Al, where are you?” Tobin asked with concern.

 

“Home. I need you.”

 

“I’m coming.”

 

“Hurry.”

 

Tobin quickly grabbed her things and went to her Jeep, driving as fast as she could.

—

Alex had left Allie’s later that night and headed back home. Allie had insisted that she stay the night, but Alex said she wanted to go home. Alex made her way into her house and went into the bedroom. She threw her bag on the bed and made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. As she splashed some water on her face, she saw something in the corner of the eye. She turned off the water and walked to the end of the counter and noticed a necklace. A simple, gold necklace. One, she has seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...What do you guys think?


	16. The Encounter

Tobin ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator because it was taking too long. She quickly made her way to Alex’s apartment. The phone call she had with Alex made her worry. She went up to the apartment door and began to knock. Alex opened the door and before Tobin could even come inside, Alex threw her arms around her, engulfing her in a hug. With the sudden shift of momentum, Tobin went flying back against the wall. She could feel Alex shaking in her arms.

 

“Al, what happened? What’s wrong?” Tobin said, trying to understand what was happening. With Alex still wrapped around her, she moved them both inside of the apartment, closing the door with her foot.

 

“Someone was here,” Alex said, gripping Tobin’s shirt.

 

“Who?”

 

“Ryan. I’m sure of it,” Alex said, leaning back to look at Tobin.

 

“How do you know for sure?”

 

Alex didn't say anything. She grabbed Tobin’s hand and dragged her into the bedroom. Tobin stood just outside of the bathroom door as Alex went inside to retrieve the necklace.

 

“Because of this,” she said, putting the necklace in Tobin’s view. Tobin reached out and grabbed the necklace, examining it. “He tried to give this to me as a gift, but I told him I couldn't keep it because I didn't want to keep the relationship going. I gave it back to him, but when I came home I saw it here in the bathroom.”

 

Tobin’s blood was boiling. She couldn’t believe this guy was walking amongst them and never suspected anything. He was dangerous and Tobin needed to stop him. She needed to find him before it was too late. She stepped back and went towards Alex’s closet, opening it to check if anyone was still inside the house. She left the bedroom and made her way to the guest bedroom. She looked around the room but didn't find anything. She thoroughly checked the house, but no one else was inside.

 

“Tobin, what do we do now?” Alex asked, stepping closer to Tobin, who was leaning against the kitchen island. Tobin didn't say anything, she was thinking about all of this and the letter she had just read.

 

“What was his name?” she barely gets out.

 

“Who’s?” Alex asked confused, placing her hands on Tobin’s hips trying to read her expression.

 

“Your fiancee?”

 

Alex looked at Tobin confused, wondering why she was asking about her fiancee. “His name was Servando.” She watched Tobin’s face changed emotions. There were tears forming in her eyes. “Why?” Tobin grabbed Alex’s hand and led them towards the couch in the living room. After they sit down, Tobin pulls out the letter from her back pocket, handing it to Alex.

 

“What is this?” she asks.

 

“It’s for you,” Tobin says, watching Alex open the letter hesitantly. She watches Alex read the letter and notices the sadness and pain etched on her face. A few minutes later, Alex finishes the letter and folds it down. A tear rolls down her face and onto the letter. Tobin wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in. She used her other hand to run her it through Alex’s hair, trying to comfort her as best as she can. After a few moments of silence, Alex speaks up. “How did you get this?”

 

“My brother. It was in his things. Servando had asked him to give the letter to you. But, Jeff never made it.”

 

“Do you think he was behind all of this? Do you think Ryan is Kara’s husband?”

 

“I think it was him. It has to be him.”

 

“What are we going to do?”

 

“We need to call the police and let them know about him,” Tobin says, pulling out her phone and getting off the couch so she could talk to the investigator. After she finished talking, she turned back towards Alex. “They will be coming here in a few to try and make sense of everything… I need to go out for a few moments. Can Allie or Syd stay here with you until I come back?”

 

Alex got off the couch and walk towards Tobin. “Where do you have to go? Please stay here with me.”

 

Tobin hugged Alex, pulling the girl close to her. “I need to get something. I’ll be back in 30 minutes. I promise.” Alex nodded her head. “Do you think they can come over or should I call Lauren?”

 

“I think they can come. I’ll give them a call.” Tobin let go, so Alex could call Allie. Tobin texted Ashlyn and told her she would be going to the shop and needed a favour. “Allie is coming over in 5 minutes, Syd will be coming too.”

 

“That’s great,” Tobin says, putting her hands on Alex’s elbows, before sliding them down to interlock their hands. “I promise I will be back soon. We need to get out of here. It’s not safe for you.” Tobin leans in and places a gentle kiss on her lips. Tobin pulls away too quick for Alex’s liking, so she lets go of their hands and grabs Tobin’s shirt, crashing her lips onto hers. They got lost in the kiss but were interrupted by a knock on the door. Alex groaned and released Tobin’s lips, making her way towards the door. Allie and Syd had shown up and Tobin excused herself. She told Alex to call her if she needed anything and would be back in a few minutes. After Tobin left, the girls waited for the police to show up. 

—-

 

“Why exactly do you need the key to the beach house?” Ashlyn said as she followed Tobin into the back of the surf shop.

 

“I need take Alex somewhere safe. He already knows where we live,” Tobin replied, going into the locked room in the back.

 

“Who is this he you are talking about?” Ashlyn asks maneuvering away from the boxes Tobin was throwing back.

 

“Ryan. He’s been stalking Alex. Something about Alex’s fiancee being friends with his wife and now he's getting revenge,” Tobin tries to explain, while frantically searching for something.

 

“What are you looking for?”

 

“The gun. Where is it?” Tobin says, turning around looking at Ashlyn.

 

“Why do you need the gun, Tobs?”

 

“To protect Alex. He’s dangerous, Ash. I need to be prepared. So, where is it?”

 

“Tobin, you are insane. You can’t have the gun,” Ashlyn exclaimed.

 

“Wouldn’t you want to protect Ali? Would you let someone hurt her?”

 

Ashlyn shook her head and threw her hands up in frustration. “Tobin, you can’t do this.”

 

“I have to.”

 

Ashlyn knew Tobin was stubborn and won’t stop until she gets what she wants. She just hoped her friend didn't get into any trouble. “Fine. I’ll get you the gun. It’s not here. You go back and pack a bag and ask Alex to do the same. I’ll swing by her apartment tomorrow morning with the keys and the gun.”

 

Tobin smiled and hugged Ashlyn. “Thanks, Ash. I love you.”

 

“Don’t make me regret this, Tobs,” she says, pulling the smaller girl closer. “I love you, too.”

—-

 

Tobin called Alex and told her she would be a couple of minutes late. She told Alex to pack some clothes because they were going to stay at the beach house for a few days. The police were at Alex’s apartment and were questioning Alex about the necklace and everything she knew about Ryan. Tobin made her way home and went into her bedroom to pack a small suitcase with her clothes. After finishing, she locks the front door and makes her way to her Jeep. As she reached the Jeep, she noticed a sticky note on the driver's side window. She rips off the stickly note to read what it said, _‘Meet me at Earl’s bar at 10 pm. Come Alone.’_

Tobin glanced down at her phone and checked the time. It was 9:45 pm. She quickly put her suitcase in the back of the Jeep before driving off to Earl's. She knew she should call the police, but didn't want to make a mess. She just had to meet this bastard alone. Tobin parked her Jeep on the side of the road and walked towards the bar. She entered the bar and noticed it was semi-packed. She looked around and didn't see any sign of Ryan. She walked towards the bar and sat on the stool. She checked her phone and noticed it was _10:04 pm._

 

Tobin asked for some water and felt a tap on her right shoulder. Turning around she saw Ryan, who had a big smirk on his face. “Didn’t think you would show up,” he said, taking a seat next to Tobin.

 

“What do you want?”

 

Ryan laughed. “You’re just like your brother, going straight to the point.”

 

Tobin looked at him with confusion. _‘How does he know Jeff?’_

“Well, I thought by now you would have figured it out. But, I guess not.”

 

“How do you know Jeff?” she asks softly, preparing for the worse.

 

“Servando and Jeff were buddies. He had asked Jeff to deliver something to Alex, had he not?”

 

‘ _The letter,’_ Tobin thought.

 

“Poor Jeff. He had no idea what type of mess he was getting into.”

 

“What did you do?” Tobin demands, getting angry.

 

“Settle down. I was getting to it,” he said, taking a sip of the water the bartender had placed in front of Tobin. “I needed to befriend Alex before that fucking letter could reach her. So, I took out the messenger.”

 

Tobin stared at Ryan. She was finally putting the pieces together.

 

“He didn't die because he committed suicide. I killed him,” he said with a chuckle. “Everything was going according to plan. Alex began to trust me; she let me into her life. But, you like your fucking brother got in the way…now, I need to get rid of you. But, I’ll give you an option. You can leave by yourself or I’ll do it for you.”

 

Tobin couldn't believe what he was saying. She was in shock. She knew her brother would never kill himself. The fact that he had been murdered stung her hard and the man that killed him was sitting in front of her. She was pissed. Without warning, Tobin got up and swung a fist at his face.

 

Ryan fell backward and onto the floor. Tobin kicked him on his side, she was about to kick again but she felt someone from behind stop her. So, she elbowed the person. Ryan got up and punched the distracted Tobin. She was furious. Tobin pushed Ryan and swung her arm again, but again she felt resistance from behind her. Grabbing the beer bottle with her left hand she swung it and hit the person behind. This lets her escape from the embrace and ran towards Ryan, who was exiting the bar. She chased after him but was stopped by a security guard. “Let me go!” she demanded, struggling to get out of the grip.

__

A few moments later, the police showed up. They handcuffed her and escorted her to the back of the patrol car. The man from the bar that was holding Tobin back needed to go to the hospital to get some stitches on his forehead. A few moments later, the door to the car opened.

 

“You’re lucky that the guy doesn't want to press charges. I know what your situation is like, but we can’t have you going around on your own trying to fix the problem.”

 

Tobin didn't reply and turned her head the other way. She was mad at them because they didn't go after him and instead put her into the car.

 

“We are trying our best to catch him. So, please stay out of trouble. Get out of town for a couple of days with your girlfriend. It benefits us both.” Tobin still didn't acknowledge the officer."Can you turn around, so I can take off the handcuffs?" Again the officer is met with silence. "Fine. Suit yourself." The officer shuts the door and asks one of the other officer’s to drop her off at Alex’s apartment.

 

A couple of minutes later, the patrol car pulled up by Alex’s apartment. The officer got out of the car and opened the door for Tobin. He asked her to come out of the car. Tobin stepped out with his help and the officer asked her to turn around. As he was taking the handcuffs off, she heard a familiar gasp.

 

“What happened?” Alex says, walking towards Tobin and the police officer. The police officer hands back the keys to Tobin’s Jeep and her phone. “Stay out of trouble,” he says to Tobin before walking back to his car and driving away. Tobin turned around and was met with piercing blue eyes. “Tobin, what did you do?” she whispers, walking closer to Tobin. Tobin rubs her wrists as Alex places both hands on Tobin’s face, examining the cut near her eye and temple area. Tobin didn't say anything. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep. The things Ryan told her had made her sick. Alex didn't say anything else and interlocked her hand with Tobin’s pulling the tan and exhausted woman back to her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting intense? What do you guys think? Leave your comments below :)


	17. Beach House

Alex led Tobin into her apartment, where Syd and Allie occupied the couch. They turned around and spotted the blood running down Tobin's face. They got up the couch and moved closer to the couple.

"Tobin are you okay?" Allie asked, looking at Alex with confusion.

Tobin nodded her head and Alex could tell Tobin did not want to talk right now and needed some space. So, with the hand she was holding, she tugged on her arm and led her to the bedroom. She raised a finger to Syd and Allie to give them a minute. When they reached the room, she walked Tobin to the bathroom. She patted the countertop for Tobin to sit on, which she slowly does. She sits there as Alex grabs the first aid kit from the cabinet. Alex opens the first aid kits and pulls out an alcohol pad. She stands between Tobin's legs and takes her hand to place it on Tobin's cheek, moving her head to the side. She applies the alcohol onto the cut and hears Tobin hiss at the contact.

"Sorry. It's going to sting a bit. I'll be quick," Alex says, gently applying the alcohol pad on the cut and cleaning it. She continues to tend to the wound and when she finishes, she presses a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Are you ok?" She asks, noticing Tobin's somber eyes.

"I just want to shower," Tobin lets out, softly. Alex nods her head giving Tobin permission to use her bathroom. Tobin steps down and slowly removes her clothes as Alex exits the bathroom to grab Tobin a change of clothes. She's in the closet when she hears the shower running. She places the clothes on the bed and walks towards the bathroom. "I've put some clothes on the bed. If you need anything else, let me know."

Alex leaves the bedroom and enters the living room where Sydney and Allie were stilling patiently.

"Is everything ok? Is Tobin ok?" Allie asked as Alex took a seat on the couch.

"She's fine. Just a cut and bruise," Alex sighs, running her hand through her hair. "Something happened, though. Something is wrong."

"Now that you know it was Ryan, are the police going after him?" Syd questioned.

"He's a person of interest and they are looking for him."

"Don't worry, they'll find him," Allie says, wrapping an arm around Alex.

"You guys go home. It's late and Tobin's back."

"We can stay with you tonight," Syd replies.

"No, you guys go home. I'm fine. I'll call you if I need anything."

"You better," Allie says, getting up from the couch.

"Thank you for coming."

"Don't ever thank us. We're friends. We are here for you, always," Syd says, giving Alex a hug before joining Allie by the door. They say their goodbyes and Alex walks back to the bedroom. As Tobin was still showering, Alex began getting ready for bed. It was a long day and she was exhausted. She needed sleep, but more importantly, she needed to make sure Tobin was okay.

Alex crawled into bed and waited for Tobin to join her. As Alex was putting her phone away, Tobin came out of the bathroom wearing Alex's t-shirt and shorts. She looked beyond exhausted. Tobin quietly slipped into bed turning her body to face Alex. Alex turned off the lights and laid down beside Tobin looking into her tired eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Tobin doesn't respond. She slowly leans forward and places a gentle kiss on Alex's lips. After they break apart, Alex uses one hand to brush away some of the hair that was on Tobin's face. They stared at each other in silence, a comfortable silence. Finally, Tobin spoke.

"He did it. He killed my brother," Tobin lets out softly. "I knew it. I knew my brother could never kill himself." Alex uses her thumb to brush away the fresh tears on Tobin's face. "He's going to pay for this…all of this," Tobin sobs. Alex was heartbroken. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around Tobin, bringing her close to her chest. Alex strokes her hair trying to lull the girl to sleep. "I'll protect you. I'll do anything to keep you safe. He can't take you away from me," Tobin whispers. Tobin falls asleep as exhaustion finally kicks in. Alex wipes away her own tears and whispers into Tobin's ear, "I'll protect you too. I love you."  
—-

The next morning, they hear a knock on the door. As Alex is about to wake up, she feels Tobin get up and walk out the bedroom. Alex rubs the sleep from her eyes and gets up to follow. She enters the living room and spots Ashlyn.

"Did you bring it?" Tobin asks.

"I did. But, you need to explain what happened to your face first."  
As Tobin explained the events that took place after they met, Alex went to brew some coffee.

"That fucking bastard!" Ashlyn exclaims.

"I need to protect Alex, to protect us. So, please give it to me."

Ashlyn sighs and reached into her backpack to pull out a small metal box. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise, Ash."

Ashlyn nods her head and hands the metal box to Tobin. Alex watches curiously by the kitchen. She pours the coffee for the three of them and brings it over to the living room just as Tobin opened the metal box.

"Tobin, why do you need that?" Alex gasps as she spots a pistol in the metal box. Tobin turns around to face Alex. "To protect you. To protect us, Al. He's dangerous and we need to be prepared."

Alex walks over and sets the coffee mugs on the table and sits down next to Tobin. "We have the police working on it. You can't keep this."

"Al, they haven't even found him yet. What if he finds us first?" Tobin tries to explain.

"Tobin, this is serious. You can hurt someone, you can hurt yourself."

Tobin puts the metal box down and grabs Alex's hands. "I promise that I won't use this unless it's necessary. Trust me."

"I trust you," Alex whispers. Tobin smiles slightly and pulls Alex into a hug. "This will all be over soon," Tobin says into her ear.  
—

They finish their coffee and change into their clothes before asking Ashlyn to drop them off at Tobin's Jeep, which was still parked on the side of the road near the bar. As Tobin loaded the Jeep with Alex's stuff, Ashlyn talked with Alex.

"If you need anything, please call me. If Tobin decides to do something stupid, call me," Ashlyn says hugging Alex. As the broke apart, Alex hopped into the passenger seat. Tobin hugged Ashlyn. "Thanks for everything, Ash. Hopefully, they catch that bastard and all of this ends."

"Tobin, take care of yourself and Alex. If you need anything, please call me and if I find out anything about Ryan, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Ash."

—

It was a couple hour drive, but they safely made it to the beach house. As Tobin gathered their bags, Alex walked around the beautiful beach house. There was a living room, a kitchen, four bedrooms (two upstair and two downstairs), and there was a backyard that was secluded from the sides, but the end of the backyard had a great view of the ocean.

Tobin placed their bags into one of the bedrooms located on the bottom floor. She walked over to Alex, who was looking out in the kitchen window.

"Uh- since we are staying here for a couple of days, I asked Christen if she could bring over Charlie. I miss him and thought it could be a good distraction."

Alex turns away from the window and walks towards Tobin, she places her hands on her hips before speaking. "I think that's a great idea," she says, leaning forwards a pressing a soft kiss on Tobin's lips.

"There's no food, so we need to do some grocery shopping," Tobin says, playing with the hem of Alex's shirt.

"Grocery shopping can wait," Alex whispers, leaning forward again and kissing Tobin. They slowly move backward until Tobin's legs hit the couch, making her sit down. Alex straddles her hips and continues to kiss Tobin with passion. Tobin reaches for the hem of Alex's shirt and pulls it over her head and Alex does the same with Tobin's. They continue kissing and feeling each other until they hear a ringtone.

"Just ignore it," Alex breathes out, kissing Tobin's jaw.

"It could be the police," Tobin pants, trying to keeps her composure. Alex stops kissing Tobin's jaw and allows Tobin to reach into her jeans to pull out her phone. Alex gets off Tobin and sits down next to her. Quickly catching her breath, Tobin picks up the phone.

"What took you so long?" Kelley questioned, "Anyway, so Christen asked me to bring Charlie over to you at the beach house."

"Can you bring him over? I thought it would be a good distraction and plus I really miss him."

"Of course I can bring him over. I just have a few things to get done, so I'll text you when I leave."

"Thanks, Kell. It means a lot," Tobin says.

"Anything for you, Tobs."

Tobin hangs up the phone and lets Alex know that Kelley would be bringing Charlie over. They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Alex leaned in and placed her head on Tobin's chest.

"I'm here for you. If you ever want to talk to someone," Alex says, playing with Tobin's hand.

"I know," Tobin replies, softly. Tobin needed some time to process everything. She was hurting, but she knew she had to keep strong for Alex. They sit there in comfortable silence, but start to laugh when they hear Alex's stomach rumble.

"How about that grocery shopping you mentioned?"

Tobin chuckles and grabs her shirt from the floor. "Let's go, I'm starving too."

—

Tobin and Alex had some lunch and went to get some groceries from the store. As they finished putting everything away, Tobin got a message from Kelley saying she would be there in 45 minutes. Tobin sat outside in the backyard on the lounge chairs as Alex was inside talking to her parents and letting them know about the situation she was in. They were worried, but Alex told them she was in good hands. A few minutes later, Alex emerged and sat down on Tobin's lap. Tobin wrapped her arms around Alex's waist, pulling her close. They sat there until someone knocked on the door. Alex reluctantly got off of Tobin and walked with her to the front door.

"Hey guys," Kelley says, giving them a quick hug as Charlie came running in.

"How was the drive?" Tobin asks as she walks to the living room area where Charlie had run off too.

"It was great. Charlie is good company," she says, taking a seat on the couch with Alex. Tobin sits on the ground and plays with Charlie.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I might need to stay here tonight."

"Of course you can stay," Alex says.

"Kell, this is your beach house too."

"I know. I just didn't want to intrude. I don't want to drive back at night. Thought I could stay and leave in the morning if it was ok with you guys."

"We would love to have you stay. Plus you can tell me all the stories about you and Tobin from your soccer days. Lauren tells me you guys were always causing a problem."

"Oh man, do I have stories to tell you," Kelley chuckles out.

—-

For the rest of the evening, the three of them sat around and talked before making a quick dinner. As they went back into the living room, Tobin got a phone call. Tobin excuses herself and walks to the backyard.

"Is this Tobin?"

"Yes, it's Tobin."

"Hi Tobin, this is Office Andy," he introduces.

"What can I do for you, Officer Andy?"

"Well, the hunch you guys had about Ryan seems true. We searched his apartment and found some disturbing things. He's been stalking Alex for a long time, even before she probably ever met him. This guy is dangerous and we know you guys are away from the city, but to be cautious, we will have a police officer at the beach house."

"Have you found him yet?"

"No. He's still on the run. But, we are working really hard to find him. Which is why we want someone to be at the beach house with you guys."

"Thanks for calling, Officer Andy."

"Just be careful. If we get any other information, I will call you right away. If there's a problem call us immediately."

"We will."

—-

After Ryan had run out of the pub, he quickly made it back to his apartment. He went into his bathroom and quickly began to shave his head and beard. He stepped into the shower to clean himself up. After dressing, he cleaned up his bathroom and went into the bedroom, picking up his backpack and running out the door. He knew the police would be looking for him now, but his plan was finally being set in place. He needs Alex and Tobin to be on their own. He needed them to be alone.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment below so I know you guys are enjoying this! What do you think might happen next?


	18. Dog Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this. I have been super busy with assignments and work.

Tobin explained to Alex and Kelley about the situation they were in. The police believe Ryan was behind the stalking and have enough evidence to arrest him. The only problem, Ryan was still on the run. Later that night, Officer Jim had introduced himself to the trio and told them he would be staying near the beach house this whole week. Alex was relieved when she heard about that. She knew Tobin would protect her, but Ryan was dangerous and could do anything.

The three of them said their goodnights and went to their bedrooms. Alex was just getting into bed when the bedroom door opened and Tobin followed by Charlie entered the room. Charlie went to his bed in the corner of the room and Tobin walked over to her suitcase to pull out some boxers and a t-shirt. Alex watched as Tobin changed for the night before disappearing into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Tobin reappeared and made her way to the bed.

Tobin got into the bed and turned off the lamp on her side. She moved into the middle of the bed waiting for Alex to do the same. Alex shut off the lamp on her side as well and moved towards the middle of the bed. Tobin wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist, pulling her closer. Alex studied Tobin’s face, trying to read her emotions. Tobin raises her hand up and tucks Alex’s hair behind her ear. Her thumb lightly brushes on her cheek before Tobin leans in and gives Alex a soft kiss.

“I love you,” Tobin whispers as she pulls her lips away.

“I love you too,” Alex replies, giving Tobin a soft smile. Tobin returns the smile, but her features quickly become serious.

“I know everything happened so fast between you and me, but I want you to know that this feeling I get when I am with you is real and I can’t explain it…I just can’t imagine life without you now. You mean so much to me. I love you, Al,” Tobin confesses, rubbing her thumb against Alex’s cheek.

Alex can’t help but smile with Tobin’s confession. “Tobin, you are so special. I never thought I could meet someone else and fall in love again, but you proved all that wrong. I fell in love with you so fast. You and I are meant to be. I love you so much,” Alex says, leaning in and capturing Tobin’s lips with hers. A few minutes later they break apart, trying to catch their breaths.

“I will do anything to protect you.”

“I know,” Alex replies, pulling Tobin closer. They lay in silence, holding each other close until they fall asleep.

—

Kelley was up first the next morning. She had to head back to town, so she went ahead and started to cook some breakfast for the three of them. She was finishing up the eggs when she hears footsteps coming into the kitchen. She turns around and spots Tobin and Charlie.

“Morning, Tobs,” Kelley says, as she puts the eggs onto the plate.

“Morning, Kelley,” Tobin replies, grabbing the dog bowl and filling it up for Charlie. “You’re up early.”

“I need to head back to town,” Kelley replies, pushing a plate towards Tobin. “Here, I was making breakfast and thought I’d make you guys some too. Where’s Alex?” She asks, noticing Alex hadn’t come to the kitchen yet.

“She's still asleep. Charlie was getting hungry and I couldn't really sleep. Thought I’d get up,” Tobin says, taking the plate in front of her. “Thanks for the breakfast, Kell.”

“What are friends for?” Kelley says with a smile as she sits down next to Tobin.

“So, what are your plans for today?”

“Not really sure. We might just hang out here or down by the beach.”

“Do you think they will find him soon?”

“I hope so, Kell. I mean this guy is dangerous, who knows what he will do. I just hope they catch before anything happens.”

“Don’t worry, Tobs. They are working really hard on catching him. It’ll be all over soon,” she says, taking a bite from her eggs. They sit in silence for a couple of minutes before Tobin speaks up.

“I have a gun,” Tobin states.

Kelley stops eating and stares at Tobin with big eyes. “What?”

“Ash and I had a gun in the shop, just in case anything ever happened.”

“Tobin, are you crazy? You have never even used a gun before!”

“Actually, Ash and I went to a shooting range. So, I know how to pull a trigger.”

“Still, Tobin. You can seriously hurt someone or yourself.”

“Kell, we both know this Ryan guy is dangerous. I need to be prepared for the worst,” Tobin says, trying to state her case.

“Tobin, just please don't do anything stupid.”

“Have I ever?”

Kelley tilts her head.

“Ok, fine. Sometimes.”

Kelley raises an eyebrow.

Tobin sighs. “Fine, a few times.” Kelley smiles and nods her head. “But, most of the times were because of you.”

“Hey, don't blame me for all your stupid doings,” Kelley says, smacking Tobin’s arm. “But, seriously, be careful.”

“I will be. I promise.”

—

Alex was finally up. She reheated the breakfast Kelley had made. Kelley said her goodbyes and told them to be safe and that everything will be back to normal again. As Alex went back into the room to get dressed for the day, Tobin and Charlie were in the backyard. A few minutes later Alex goes outside to where Tobin and Charlie were. She stands by the sliding door watching as Tobin kicks a soccer ball around as Charlie chases after it.

“Come on, Char. Don’t be so lazy,” Tobin says, as Charlie walks towards the lounge chairs, laying down beside one.

“I think he might be getting tired,” Alex says, patting Charlie before walking towards Tobin.

“We haven't done much. How can he be so tired?” Tobin frowns.

“Tobs, you’ve been making him go around in circles. He’s not a soccer player ya know.”

“I know, but he's being a lazy bum.”

“Well, I’m here now. Maybe you can teach me a few things?” Alex offers.

“Fine, I guess you will do,” Tobin jokes, leaning forward to kiss Alex.   
—

They spend the majority of their time outside, only coming in to get some snacks or drinks. Officer Jim came by to check up on them and told them he was undercover and will be patrolling the area. He told them to call him if they need anything or if something comes up.

Nothing much happened that day and soon it was dinner time. They made a quick dinner before making their way over to the couch to watch a movie. As they sat there all cuddled together, Alex noticed that Tobin was sleeping. She smiled and tucked in a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead. Alex watched the remainder of the movie. When it finished, Alex slowly nudged Tobin, but she didn't wake up. Alex smiled and leaned in to kiss Tobin on the lips. She kissed her a few times and soon she feels Tobin kiss her back. Alex smiles and gets off the couch. She grabs Tobin’s hand and leads her towards the bedroom, so they could go to sleep.

—

The next morning, Tobin and Alex made breakfast. Charlie was out in the backyard running and playing around. As Tobin and Alex ate, they went back to the bedroom to change. Charlie remained outside.

—

Ryan had managed to find the beach house. It wasn't that hard since he followed Kelley all the way there. He laughed at how easy this was for him. He spotted Kelley and Charlie get into a beach house. He analyzed the area, getting familiar with his surroundings. He stayed out of sight, as he knew there would be police officers around the area. He was proven right when he noticed an officer approach the beach house. The next day, he spotted Kelley leaving the beach house without Charlie. He smiled and knew immediately how he could get Alex alone in the house.

—

The next morning, he spotted the same police officer approach the beach house. He talked with Tobin and a few minutes later the police officer returned to his car. This was Ryan’s chance. He noticed that the police officer would visit the house and then circle around the area before parking near the house. As the police officer left to circle the area, Ryan approached the beach house. He sneaked around the house and headed towards the backyard. He spotted Charlie in the back, lounging in the sun. Ryan looked around and noticed Tobin and Alex weren't there. He quickly reached into his pocket and threw out some dog treats near Charlie. He waited for Charlie to notice the treats. Charlie gets up from his spot and walks towards the treats. He sniffs them a few times and quickly eats them up. Ryan smiles and quickly hides behind the big bushes. _‘I’ll finally have you alone, Alex. Tobin won't be around to protect you.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was short, but I wanted to update this story for you all. I promise to have the next chapter up sooner. What did you guys think about this one? What will happen next?


	19. The Intruder

Tobin came out of the bedroom freshly showered and dressed for the day. She checks her phone while making her way towards the kitchen area. She reaches the fridge and opens it up to grab a bottle of water. She opens the lid and takes a sip, as she did that she caught something in the corner of her eye. She quickly puts the bottle down and turns her head towards the backyard. She squints her eyes and notices Charlie laying on his side, trembling. She quickly gulps the water that was in her mouth before running towards him.

“Char…Charlie?” Tobin calls out as she kneels down next to him. She runs her hand over his trembling body. She tries to soothe him by rubbing his belly, but he continues to shiver. “What happened, Char?” Tobin was scared, she had never seen him like this. She held him in her arms and tried to keep him from shivering. As she sat there, she heard a voice from behind them.

“Tobin, what’s wrong?” Alex asks as she approaches the two of them.

“Something is wrong with Char. I don't know what happened. I came out here and he was shaking,” Tobin explains, the worry amplified in her voice. Alex kneels down next to them and checks up on Charlie.

“Do you think he ate something? Maybe he’s allergic to something and is having a reaction.”

“I don’t know, Al.”

“Is there a vet in the area?”

“I’m not sure,” Tobin replies, weakly.

“Let me go out and check. In the meantime, keep Charlie calm. I will call Officer Jim and let him know what’s going on. He might be able to help us out,” Alex says, as she gets up from her spot and quickly making her way towards the kitchen, grabbing the keys to the Jeep.

Tobin sits there holding Charlie, trying to soothe him. “You’ll be fine, buddy. I promise.” She wraps her arms tighter around Charlie and holds him close. “Stay with me, Char.” Tobin sits there holding him close, praying Alex could bring some help. As she sits there, she hears footsteps coming up behind her. “You’re back so quickly,” Tobin says, as she turns her head around to Alex, but her face immediately turns pale when she notices it isn't Alex.

“Well, hello there Tobin,” Ryan says with a smirk, looking down at Tobin and Charlie.

—

Alex quickly jumps into the Jeep and backs out of the driveway. She makes her way down the streets to a plaza filled with shops. She drives by a few shops and spots a veterinarian clinic. She parks her car and quickly makes her way towards the clinic. She goes to pull the handle to the door, but it doesn't budge. She checks the hours of the clinic and notices it wouldn't be open for another hour. She groans and bangs on the glass door hard. When she did that, though, she saw a head pop up from behind the closed door in the back of the clinic. Alex covers the side of her face and looks into the glass door, she smiles quickly and knocks on the door again, trying to get some attention. She smiles when the lady comes out of the room and heads towards Alex and opens the door slightly.

“I’m sorry, but we will be open in an hour. Can you please wait outside until then,” the lady says, as she begins to close the door.

“Wait! Please. My girlfriend’s dog is really sick. He’s trembling like crazy. He needs help immediately,” Alex pleads.

The lady sighs but looks at Alex sympathetically. “Fine. You can bring him in right away. I’ll be waiting.”

“Thank you so much,” Alex says, turning towards the Jeep and driving back to the house.

—

“What are you doing here,” Tobin asks, knowing full well what Ryan was doing there.

“Like you don't know already,” Ryan says as he steps closer to Tobin. “I wasn't expecting you to be here, though. I thought Alex would comfort the dog while you went to get help.”

Tobin looks down at Charlie and back to Ryan, realizing Ryan had done something to Charlie.

“Don’t look so surprised. I mean your stupid dog chowed down the dog treats real quick, didn't even realize they would harm him,” Ryan says, kneeling down in front of the two, reaching a hand out to pet Charlie. Tobin smacks his hand hard. Ryan laughs. “This is just too easy. Don't worry, he won’t die…yet.”

Tobin releases her grip on Charlie and slowly begins to get up. Ryan moves back a bit and stands up too. Tobin was furious. She jumped up from her spot and runs towards Ryan. She tackles him to the ground and begins to punch him. Ryan tries to block the punches but barely succeeding as most of them end up hitting him in the face. Ryan bucks his hips up and quickly grabs Tobin’s arm, throwing her to the side. He quickly pins Tobin under him and smiles at her before punching her right in the face. Tobin is dazed by the impact. Ryan continues to punch her, but this time it is Tobin trying to block the punches. As they struggle on the ground, Tobin brings her knee up hard and hits Ryan in the groin which causes him to shout in pain. Tobin takes this opportunity and pushes him off of her and run quickly towards the house.

Ryan regains his breath and watches Tobin run into the house. He gets up and follows her in. Meanwhile, Tobin runs towards the bedroom and quickly locates the metal box. She props it open and picks up the gun. She quickly loads it and slowly makes her way towards the door.

—

As Alex drives home, she quickly dials Tobin’s number. But, a few rings later Tobin doesn't pick up her phone. She sighs and drives faster towards the beach house. As she approaches the house, she parks the Jeep in the driveway and calls Officer Jim. She explains the situation to him and he tells her not to worry that he will watch the house, while they are gone. She thanks him and makes her way towards the house.

—

Tobin slowly creeps out the bedroom door, looking around for Ryan. As she moves towards the kitchen area slowly. As she is about to round the corner, she hears footsteps approaching the front door. _‘Alex,’_ She thought. She quickly made her way towards the front door, not wanting Alex to come in. However, as she walks towards the door, she feels something hit her from behind.

—

As Alex was about to open the front door, she hears someone yell in pain behind it. She stops in her tracks, not knowing if she should open the door. She starts to move back from the front door, but she isn't able to go too far as the front door opens and she is dragged inside of the house.

Alex struggles to pull herself away from the hard grip on her arm. She looks up the arm that was holding her and immediately recognizes the person. As she tries again to break free from the grip, she feels herself being thrown hard to the floor. She groans in pain. As she tries to sit up, she feels something wet on her left hand. She raises her hand to her face and notices the liquid was blood. She quickly turns her face where she had touched the blood and gasps when she sees Tobin’s body facing down on the floor. Blood oozing out of her.

“Tobin!” she cries, as she moves closer to Tobin. She is about to reach her but is kicked to the side.

“She’s not dead, yet,” Ryan says as he stands next to Tobin’s unconscious body. He kicks Tobin on the side.

“No! Stop!” Alex says, getting up and moving towards Tobin. She jumps up onto Tobin’s body, trying to shield Tobin from Ryan. Tears are streaming down her face as she holds onto Tobin.

“Get off of her,” Ryan says, grabbing Alex and pulling her off of Tobin. He drags Alex into the living room and throws her near the t.v. stand. She gets up and tries to attack him, but stops dead in her steps when Ryan points a gun at her.

“Your husband ruined my life. He took the love of my life away from me. I can’t hurt you like the others. I fell in love with you. The problem now is, you're in love with someone else. We can’t have that, now can we, Alex?” Ryan says, still pointing the gun towards her. Alex stares at the gun and then at Ryan, noticing the evil glimmer in his eyes. “Do you not want poor Tobin to live? Or do you want me to get rid of her?” Alex shakes her head. “Please don't hurt her. I will do whatever you want.”

Ryan smiles. He lowers his gun and walks towards Alex, leaning in close to her. Alex closes her eyes as tears keep streaming down her face. “Please, just let me get her some help. I will do whatever you want,” Alex, whispers out. Ryan leans in more and places his lips on hers. Alex tries to pull away, but she feels the gun on her stomach. She freezes. Ryan pulls back and stares at her. “Come on, open your eyes. I need to see those beautiful eyes,” he says, putting pressure on her stomach with the gun. Alex slowly opens her eyes. As she does, she sees Tobin barely standing behind him, with her index finger on her lips. Ryan pushes Alex back, so she leans against the wall near the t.v. He pins her against the wall and begins to place kisses on her collarbone. Alex looks up at Tobin, who was slowly making her way towards the two with a metal vase in her hand. Tobin goes up behind Ryan, who is busy with Alex’s neck. Tobin was furious, she picked up the vase and swung it hard against Ryan’s head. Alex pushes Ryan out of the way as he falls to the ground from the hard impact of the metal vase.

Alex quickly grabs Tobin’s hand and begins to lead her out of the house. As they are about to exit the living room, a lone gunshot is fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming to an end soon. Your thoughts?


	20. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving the last chapter on a cliffhanger. Please forgive me!

Alex heard the gunshot and immediately froze. She felt Tobin’s hand loosen her grip on hers and watched as Tobin fell forward to the wood floor. Everything was happening in slow motion. She watched as Tobin hit the floor before hearing another gunshot. This time as the gunshot went off, she heard Ryan cry out in pain. Alex turned her head towards the living room and watched as Ryan fell to the ground.

Alex noticed Ryan struggling to keep Charlie off of him. Charlie’s mouth gripped Ryan’s leg hard. Ryan tried to push Charlie off but to no avail. Alex noticed the gun sitting in the middle of the living room, which was thrown out of Ryan’s hand when Charlie attacked him. Alex quickly ran towards the gun and picked it up. She held up the gun towards Ryan, her hands shaking. Charlie had stopped biting and ran towards Tobin, who was lying on the floor near the front entrance.

Ryan looked up at Alex, eyes wide and full of pain. “You don’t even know how to use a gun. You’ll regret it later,” he said, smugly. Alex stared at him, her hands still shaking as Ryan began to sit up. He slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. “Put the gun down, Alex,” he demanded. Alex took a few steps back, still aiming the gun towards Ryan. “I said, put the gun down,” Ryan repeats, moving off the wall and walking gingerly towards Alex. “Don’t you want to help your girlfriend? She’s in pain,” he says, which causes Alex to turn around and look towards Tobin, who was still faced down on the ground. Ryan smirks as he watches Alex turn around. He takes this opportunity and jumps at Alex.

He pins Alex to the ground and tries to pry open Alex’s hand off of the gun. As both of them begin to struggle again, Charlie begins to bark and runs over towards them. In just a few seconds, a third gunshot is fired that day. Alex again freezes in her spot underneath Ryan. She watches as Ryan tries to breathe, but Alex knows he’s struggling. She pushes him off of her and watches him roll to the side. Alex looks down at her hands, gun still in her hand. She had just shot Ryan.

Alex stumbled backward, letting go of the gun. As she struggles to stand, she feels two arms pull her up. She turns around and notices Officer Jim.

“Don’t worry. This was all self-defence. I’ll take it from here,” he says, patting Alex’s back. “I need you to go outside. The paramedics are here and they will take care of you both.”

Alex looks behind Officer Jim and notices a few other police officers had arrived on the scene. She quickly turns her attention to Tobin, who was still on the floor. Alex quickly rushes over towards her. She kneels down next to Charlie and Tobin. Alex’s face streaming with tears. She grabs Tobin’s hand. “Tobs, we are safe now. Get up for me,” she whispers into Tobin’s ear. Tobin doesn't stir. Alex begins to cry and is pulled to the side as a few paramedics entered the house. They take Alex outside towards the ambulance as the other paramedics work on Tobin inside the beach house.   
Alex has a few bruises and cuts from the struggle with Ryan, but nothing life threatening. As the paramedic finishes treating Alex, a stretcher is pulled out of the beach house and placed onto a gurney, which was sitting in the driveway. Alex immediately recognizes who is on the gurney and rushes towards it. Tobin is pulled into one of the ambulances. Alex takes in Tobin’s appearance. The paramedics had cut open her shirt, blood smeared all over her body. There were cuts and bruises on her face, arms, and torso. Alex begins to cry. She tries to get into the ambulance but is immediately stopped.

“Ma’am, we need you to stay here,” one of the paramedic says, as they begin to close the doors to the ambulance.

“She needs me. I have to go with you,” Alex pleads.

“I’m sorry. Please stay here.”

Just like that the ambulance is out of the driveway with sirens blaring down the street.

—

Alex was informed by Officer Jim that Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene. Officer Jim assured her that nothing would happen to her since it was all self-defence. Alex was questioned by a few other officers and was told not to worry as this was a standard procedure they had to follow. She told them everything. She told them that she had gone out to find a veterinarian clinic because Charlie was sick. She told them how when she was about to enter the house, she heard a yell. She told them she was dragged into the house and noticed Tobin was on the floor bleeding. She explained how Ryan pinned her against the wall and how Tobin hit the metal vase at him. She told them how she heard a gunshot and noticed Tobin fall to the ground. She explained how Charlie saved them by attacking Ryan, which caused him to fire the gun upwards instead of at them. She told them how she spotted the gun on the living room floor and how both of them struggled on the ground before the gun went off.

She cried the entire time while explaining to the officers about the incident. Throughout the interview, she kept asking for Tobin, but the police said they didn't know anything but that she was getting treated. As for Charlie, he was taken to the veterinarian and being checked at. After they had finished up the interview with Alex, they drove her to the hospital.

—

Tobin had been shot just above her right hip. The bullet went through her but did not hit any serious organs or veins. Her face was beaten up, her hands were bruised, her left ankle was fractured, and had bruises over her body. She was quickly brought into surgery to repair the damage on her hip left by the bullet. Her hip was stitched up, along with a cut just above her eyebrow. She was also fitted into a boot for her ankle. Tobin would need a month or two to fully recover.

—

Charlie had been drugged from the dog treats Ryan had given him. He was going to make a full recovery and would be back to normal within a few days. Charlie was going to stay at the veterinarian clinic for a few days to keep him under observation.

—

Alex waited for the nurse to come back and take her to Tobin’s room. She was told that Tobin had a successful surgery and would recover within a few months. Alex had called Allie and Sydney and told them what had happened. They told her that they were coming to the hospital right way. Next, she called Lauren and had told her what had happened. Lauren told Alex not to worry and that she would let the others know and will come to the hospital as soon as possible.

An hour later, the nurse came back and led Alex towards Tobin’s room. Alex slowly entered the room, noticing how dim it was. She made her way over to Tobin, who was sleeping. She noticed a couple of tubes going in and out of her and could hear the soft beeping of the machines around her. Alex looked at the very pale woman laying in front of her. Alex walked towards the bed, pulling a chair with her. She placed the chair near Tobin’s waist and sat down. She slowly reached for Tobin’s hand and held it. She examined her face, noticing all the bruising covering up her beautiful facial features. Alex gently rubbed Tobin’s hand, thankful Tobin was still with her. Alex leaned up and placed a soft kiss on Tobin’s temple.

—

“Now, there’s the smile I came here to see,” Lauren says, as she enters Tobin’s room in the hospital.

Lauren, Kelley, and Ashlyn had shown up the previous day, but since Tobin was under lots of medication, she had yet to wake up. Alex insisted that they go to the hotel and rest, while she stayed with Tobin. Allie and Sydney told Alex that they would stay with her, but she told them that she wanted to be alone with Tobin. So, the five ladies went to the hotel and told Alex to call them if anything happened.

Around 7 a.m the next morning, Alex felt someone squeeze her hand. Alex looked down at the hand that was intertwined with Tobin’s and looked up at Tobin. She noticed the brown eyes looking down at her. Alex smiled and jumped up from her chair, using her other hand to cup Tobin’s cheek, lightly.

“You’re awake,” Alex said as Tobin nodded her head. Alex gave Tobin a small smile before turning around to go call the doctor. As she turned to leave, she felt Tobin pull her hand back. Alex stopped and turned around. “Tobs, I need to call the doctor.” Reluctantly, Tobin let go of her hand and watched Alex run out the door shouting for a doctor. The doctor came in and examined her. Tobin was sore but other than that she was fine. Alex called Allie and Lauren and told them that Tobin was awake and that they could come see her.

“Hey Chen,” Tobin rasped out, still trying to recover from the medication. Lauren walked in with the other girls and sat down on the chair Alex had risen from.

“How are you, Champ?” Lauren asks, reaching out and holding Tobin’s hand.

“Just a bit sore,” Tobin says, giving Lauren’s hand a squeeze.

“Well, let's get you all better so we can go home.”

Tobin smiled at Lauren before turning and looking at the other girls that had walked into the room. “Hey guys,” Tobin says, smiling at them. Allie, Sydney, Ashlyn, and Kelley immediately walk over to Tobin’s bed and surrounds her.

“It’s nice to see you awake and well, Tobs,” Ashlyn says, patting Tobin’s good foot. Tobin smiles at her before asking a question. “Where’s Char? I was about to ask Alex before you guys came in.”

“He’s at the vet,” Kelley says, but continues when she see’s Tobin’s face fall. “He’s doing great. Apparently, he’s becoming too fond of another dog.” Tobin laughs. “That’s my boy.”

All of the women talk with one another for an hour or so before they notice Tobin’s eyelids getting heavier and heavier. They smile and tell Tobin to sleep and that they would come back later. Alex wants to stay with Tobin but is dragged out of the room, so she could go shower and change into some new clothes.

—

Alex stayed with Tobin again that night, while she told the other girls to go back home. They didn't agree and said they would stay another night at the hotel before going back home. Tobin had to stay at the hospital for at least a week before she gets cleared to go back home.

Alex entered the room with Tobin’s crushed ice that she wanted. Tobin smiled up at Alex when she entered the room. Alex made her way to the bed and placed the cup on the side table. Tobin smiled and slowly moved to the side of her bed, making room for Alex. Tobin pats the open side of the bed, waiting for Alex to climb in with her.

Alex shakes her head. “Tobs, I need you to rest.”

“Al, I need you with me.”

“I’ll be right here beside you on this chair.”

Tobin pouts. “I can’t sleep without you. If you want me to rest, you need to help me out.”

Alex chuckles. “Tobs, you are so stubborn,” she replies, before climbing into the bed and sliding in next to Tobin.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Tobin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter will be the epilogue. What did you guys think about this chapter?


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It comes to an end.

**8 Months Later**

“Babe?” Tobin called out, walking into the house. She had gone out to visit Charlie and congratulate Christen on her engagement. Even though they had history, both of them were still good friends. After the incident, Christen had come to visit Tobin at the hospital bringing some flowers and some surfing magazines. Alex and Christen got along as well and became fast friends.

When Tobin was released from the hospital, Alex stayed with her. Eventually a couple of months later, Tobin officially asked Alex to move in with her. Alex was able to find a shop to lease for her salon, just a few shops down from the surf shop. Tobin went back to work since she couldn’t stand staying at home all day. Soon, Alex’s shop was open for business. Both Tobin and Alex developed a routine. They would go out for a run, have breakfast, get dressed and go to work. They would meet up for lunch and cook dinner at home unless they had a date. Both of them were happy with where they were in their relationship.

—

Tobin walked deeper into the house, noticing the sliding door leading towards the backyard open. She placed her keys and wallet on the table as she made her was towards the backyard.

“Al?” she called out again. Tobin walked outside and noticed Alex crouching down in the middle of the yard. Just as Tobin stepped down from the porch she noticed a puppy, a labrador retriever. Alex turned around and motioned Tobin over. She quickly made her way towards the duo, kneeling down next to Alex and the puppy.

“Al, who is this?” Tobin said, petting the puppy.

“This is our dog,” Alex states, resting her hand on Tobin’s thigh.

“Our dog?”

Alex chuckles. “Yes. Our dog.”

Tobin smiles and jumps onto Alex, pushing her to the ground and wrapping her arms around Alex. “I love you,” she says before leaning in and giving Alex a soft kiss.

“I love you too.”

Tobin gets off Alex and turns her attention to the puppy. “So, what is its name?”

“ _He_ doesn’t have a name yet. I thought we could decide together. Have anything in mind?”

Tobin pauses and thinks for a few moments before a smile appears on her lips. “Oscar.”

“Oscar?”

“Can we name him Oscar?”

“Why Oscar?”

“Remember when we first met. How you almost got hit by a car and I grabbed you.”

“More like saved me,” Alex interjects. “But, go on.”

“The license plate of the car said, Oscar.”

Alex shakes her head and smiles before leaning in and placing a kiss on Tobin’s lips. “Oscar. I like it.”

Tobin notices Oscar falling asleep, so she slowly sweeps him up into her arms and carries him towards the house, with Alex following behind. Tobin lays Oscar onto the dog bed in the living room. Alex sits down on the couch and waits for Tobin.

“So, how did it go?” Alex asks as Tobin sits down next to her. Tobin grabs Alex’s hand and rubs her thumb over Alex’s.

“Well, they ruled Jeff’s death as a homicide. His case is no longer a suicide. I’m just happy they are able to clear that cause Jeff would have never killed himself. He deserved justice.”

Alex leans in and wraps her arms around Tobin. “He deserved better. I’m sorry, Tobin.”

“You’re right, he did. But, it happened. It’s not your fault.”

“I wish things could be different.”

“I don’t,” Tobin states, which causes Alex to turn her head and look into her eyes, confused.

“You wouldn’t?”

“I would do anything to bring back Jeff to us. I’d give up my own life. But, through this tragedy, I was able to meet you,” Tobin says softly, rubbing Alex’s cheek with her thumb. “I’m pretty sure, Jeff would approve you. I mean look at you,” she says with a soft chuckle.

“I’m so glad to have met you,” Alex says, placing her hand on top of Tobin’s, which is resting on her cheek. “I love you so much.”

“I love you so much too…and Oscar,” she says, glancing over at Oscar, who was still sleeping. Alex chuckles, “Yes and Oscar too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this fic. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Leave your comments below! 
> 
> Hope to come back soon with a better fic.


End file.
